


Peril

by lvlyhyuka



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Crossdressing, M/M, Mentioned Other K-pop Artist(s), Quarterback Choi Soobin, Thriller
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:41:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 99,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29095182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lvlyhyuka/pseuds/lvlyhyuka
Summary: “I bet you can’t make Choi Soobin fall in love with you.”“Bring it on, then.”-In which someone bets Choi Yeonjun that he can’t make Choi Soobin, the school’s quarterback and nicest boy, fall in love with him. Yeonjun wants to prove the person wrong, but little does he know, the bet will change his and Soobin’s lives forever.
Relationships: Choi Soobin/Choi Yeonjun, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 55
Kudos: 85





	1. Denial

**Author's Note:**

> don't like, don't read <3
> 
> !!read at your own risk!!
> 
> this story will gradually have things that might trigger some of u, so plz stop reading if it does
> 
> this story is inspired by "the bet" and "the dare". these were stories on episode, an app, but i don't remember the author's name, so credit goes to them
> 
> (also, i deleted my royal au yeonbin fic, because it felt sloppy, but i'll continue it soon)

As the blue-haired male runs down the hallway, he doesn’t have one care in the world. His first period of the day, physics, started almost twenty minutes ago, which means he’s twenty minutes late. But he doesn’t care. He’s always late, anyway, and it’s not like he can get in trouble by any of the teachers, hence why his dad’s the principal of the school.

But, his happiness and feeling free time is soon interrupted, since he suddenly bumps into a strong broad chest, which makes him and the owner of the ‘strong broad chest’ fall to the floor, their stuff coming down with them.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry,” a familiar voice quickly apologizes. “Hyung, are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, right?”

Looking up, the male smiles once he recognizes the lovely handsome face of the school’s student council president, quarterback, and nicest boy, a.k.a. Choi Soobin. If angels existed, he’d be the definition of them.

“I-I’m okay,” the blue-haired male says, a bit breathlessly. “Oh my god, you are so handsome.”

Soobin wasn’t expecting that, but his cheeks turn a light shade of red. “U-um, thanks.”

The other male doesn’t mind that he called Soobin handsome in front of him. “Mhm, no problem. Are you okay, though? I didn’t hurt you, right?”

“You didn’t, Yeonjunie-hyung,” Soobin assures, picking the older’s stuff up. Soobin hands it to him, and Yeonjun thanks him, holding his things to his chest. Soobin picks his own stuff up, before getting up, smiling at Yeonjun as they lock eyes. “Why aren’t you in class, hyung?”

Not that he cares, but Yeonjun doesn’t want Soobin to know he’s skipping class. “I-I just went to the bathroom.”

“Oh, okay,” Soobin says. “Well, I have to leave now, hyung. Sorry again for bumping into you. Good luck in class.”

Yeonjun nods. “Y-you, too.”

Soobin smiles at Yeonjun, making his  _ adorable  _ dimples appear on his soft, doughy cheeks. Yeonjun smiles back, not being able to look away. Eventually, though, he sighs once Soobin is out of sight. Yeonjun decides to walk to his class this time, and arrives a few seconds later. He opens the door, making everyone including the teacher look at him.

“Choi fucking Yeonjun, why are you late this time?”

Although the question sounded mad, the teacher has a smile on her face. 

“I was taking a big dump in the bathroom,” Yeonjun says, sauntering over toward his seat. The class is used to his silly responses, making a few giggle. “Continue teaching, Rosie. Sorry for interrupting.”  The teacher rolls her eyes, and continues teaching. Yeonjun sighs, leaning back against his seat. As the teacher talks, he notices almost everyone is taking notes. He raises an eyebrow, and sits up, peeking at his partner’s paper.  “Hey, Park, why are we all writing?” he whispers, as he takes his notebook and glittery pens out of his backpack.

“For our next test,” his partner replies. “The teacher’s letting it be an open book test, so we’re taking notes.”

“That’s smart,” Yeonjun mutters, flipping to a new page. “Think I can borrow your notes later?”

His partner nods, and Yeonjun quietly thanks her.

* * *

When the school bell finally rings for lunch, everyone eagerly packs up their things to head to the cafeteria. Yeonjun is one of them, and, as he walks out of his fourth-period classroom, he skims the crowd for his best friend, Choi Beomgyu. Yeonjun eventually finds the said raven-haired male, noticing him talking with a familiar blonde-haired male, a.k.a. Kang Taehyun, the smartest person in the whole school. Although some people only talk to Taehyun to use him for the answers to tests and homework, Beomgyu isn’t like that, and actually has a  _ huge  _ crush on the blonde.

Yeonjun lets out a small smirk, but doesn’t head toward Beomgyu and Taehyun, letting them be alone for now. Yeonjun walks inside the cafeteria, letting out a silent ‘yes!’ to himself when he realizes they’re having pizza for lunch. As he stands in line, he suddenly feels a pair of cold hands cover his eyes, and he lets out a yelp.

“Guess who?”

“Kai Kamal Huening, why the fuck are your hands so fucking cold?” Yeonjun exclaims.

Hueningkai laughs, taking his hands off Yeonjun’s eyes. “I just came back from the bathroom. That’s why they’re cold and wet. No other reason.”

Yeonjun turns around, looking at Kai with a small frown. “That’s kinda sus.”

“Where’s Beomgyu-hyung?” he asks, finally noticing that the said ravenette isn’t with Yeonjun as he normally is.

Yeonjun motions with his chin where Beomgyu is. “He’s talking with his favorite blonde.”

Hueningkai raises an eyebrow, turning to look at Beomgyu. A small smile grows on Kai’s face, as he sees Taehyun with Beomgyu. “Hopefully, hyung finally tells Taehyun his feelings. I’m so tired of watching him pine over him.”

“Me, too,” Yeonjun agrees. “Hey, don’t you have a football practice right now?” 

(yeonjun totally doesn’t know the football schedule, especially because choi soobin is on the football team, the team’s captain, and quarterback.)

(pfft, that’d be stupid.)

“Nah, Soobin-hyung let us each lunch instead,” Hueningkai says. “Why?”

“Just so you don’t get in trouble,” Yeonjun mutters. “Duh.”

“Hyung, if you like Soobin-hyung, just admit,” Kai says. “I won’t judge.”

“I don’t like him,” Yeonjun frowns. “He has a crush on one of the cheerleaders, anyway.”

“So, you’re sure you don’t like him?”

Yeonjun nods. “Positive.”

“Bull,” Hueningkai accuses. “You like Soobin-hyung.”

“I don’t,” Yeonjun whines. “Just because I flirt with him doesn’t mean I like him. I flirt with you and Beom all the time. I’d rather eat my own hand than date either of you.”

“Rude,” Kai huffs, making Yeonjun snicker.

The line starts moving forward, and Yeonjun and Hueningkai get their food. They sit down at an empty table, and talk about random things. Eventually, Beomgyu and Taehyun sit down with them.

“Hi, guys,” Beomgyu greets. “You both know Taehyun, right?”

“I’ve heard of him, but I’ve never met him,” Yeonjun says. He smiles at Taehyun. “Hi. I’m Yeonjun.”

“And I’m Hueningkai,” he adds.

“Taehyun,” he returns, smiling back. “Nice to meet you both.”

“So, Taehyun, do you like boys?” Yeonjun asks nonchalantly, making Beomgyu’s eyes widen.

_ “Hyung!” _

“It’s okay, hyung,” Taehyun says with a small smile, making the dimple on his right cheek appear. He turns to Yeonjun. “Yes, I like boys. Why? You homophobic or something?”

At Taehyun’s question, Kai bursts out laughing. “Trust me, Taehyun, Yeonjun-hyung’s the opposite. He’s the definition of gay.”

“And I’m proud of it,” Yeonjun says, high fiving Hueningkai.

“I’m sorry about them,” Beomgyu sighs, shaking his head. He kicks Yeonjun’s shin underneath the table, making him kick him back. “Anyway, hyung, where’s Soobin-hyung?”

“How would I know?” Yeonjun says. “I don’t stalk him.”

“Sure you don’t,” Beomgyu and Kai say in unison.

“Yeonjun-hyung, you like Soobin-hyung?” Taehyun asks, a bit surprised.

“No,” Yeonjun immediately replies. “He’s just very cute, and I like flirting with him. Doesn’t mean I have feelings for him.”

“I don’t mean to sound rude, but doesn’t Soobin-hyung have a crush on one of the cheerleaders already?” Taehyun says. He glances at Beomgyu, before looking back at Yeonjun. “Mina Myoi, right?”

“Mina  _ Sharon  _ Myoi,” he corrects. “Everyone has a crush on her.”

“She  _ is _ pretty,” Beomgyu says pointedly. Taehyun looks at him with slightly wide eyes. Catching Taehyun’s gaze, Beomgyu is quick to add, “Th-that doesn’t mean I like her of course. I’m just saying it because she is. D-doesn’t mean I like her. I-I think you’re pretty, too, b-but-”

“What Beomgyu-hyung means is that Mina is pretty, so normally, people like her,” Kai is quick to step in, giving Beomgyu a look. 

“Ah, okay,” Taehyun says, nodding.

Beomgyu shoots a thankful look toward Hueningkai.

* * *

Around three hours later, hell- I mean,  _ school  _ is finally over. Yeonjun sighs in relief, walking out of his last classroom. He walks toward the school’s gates, deciding to wait for his cousin to be ready, so they can go home together. He leans back against the wall, scrolling through his phone, whilst he waits for his cousin. As he does, he hears footsteps approach him, and he looks up, surprised to see Soobin.

“Hi, hyung,” he greets.

“S-Soobin.” Yeonjun immediately gets off the wall, clearing his throat. “W-what may I do for you?”

“Have you seen Hyuka anywhere?” Soobin asks.

“Um, I think his sister already picked him up,” Yeonjun says. “Why?”

“Damn it,” Soobin curses under his breath. “I couldn’t go to my second period, because I had to lead a student council meeting, so I wanted to ask him for the notes.”

“What’s your second period?” Yeonjun questions. Hopefully, he could help Soobin if they have the same class.

“Physics,” he replies. 

Yeonjun sighs in relief. “That’s my first period. My partner let me borrow her notes, and I have some of my own.”

Soobin sighs in relief. “You’re a lifesaver, hyung. Can I borrow them?”

“O-of course.” Yeonjun quickly brings his backpack to his chest, unzipping it to take out his and his partner’s physics notebooks. He hands them both to Soobin, and he grabs them. “My partner’s notebook is the red one, and the yellow sticker sticking out is where the notes are for today.”

Soobin nods. “Thanks, hyung. I owe you one.”

Yeonjun smiles. “Y-yeah. I-is that it?”

“I think so,” Soobin mutters. “Thanks again, hyung. I’ll give you the notebooks tomorrow, or I’ll try to.”

“Y-you don’t have to,” Yeonjun says. “I’m sure my partner and I can deal without them.”

Soobin gives Yeonjun a look of confusion. “D-don’t you both need them?”

_ Yeonjun, focus. Stop saying nonsense.  _

“Y-yeah, sorry,” he says, smacking himself internally. “S-sorry, I don’t know why I said that.”

Soobin nods, and Yeonjun hopes Soobin isn’t creeped out by him. “Well, bye now, hyung. Thanks again.”

Yeonjun nods, and he waves at Soobin. The younger smiles at him, before he finally turns to walk toward the parking lot. 

Another fact that makes Soobin hot and more likable is that he has his own car.

“And you say you don’t have feelings for him.”

Yeonjun jumps at the new voice, looking toward its owner. He rolls his eyes, as they land on his cousin, Park Chaeyoung or Rosé, as she likes to be called. She’s also his physics teacher from earlier.

“Noona, don’t scare me like that,” he says. “I was about to smack you.”

Rosé chuckles. “Sorry. You ready to go?”

Yeonjun nods, zipping his backpack closed. He shoulders it properly, before following behind Rosé. They get inside her car, and she turns it on, putting on her seatbelt. She starts driving toward their house, getting out of the school’s grounds, as she glances at Yeonjun.

“So, Choi Soobin, huh?”

Yeonjun groans.  _ “Noona.” _

“What?” Rosé says. “It’s obvious you like him, Yeonjun.”

“I. Don’t. Like. Him,” he repeats for the nth time in his life. “Why do people keep saying that?”

“You’re always flirting with him,” Rosé says.

“So?” Yeonjun says, raising an eyebrow. “I flirt with Beom and Kai, too. Doesn’t mean I want to date them.”

“Okay, but with Soobin you’re different,” Rosé says. “You’re touchier and flirt more with him. He’s either too nice or whipped for you, too, because he always lets you do whatever, and sometimes even flirts with you back.”

“Even if he did, he already has a crush on that cheerleader,” Yeonjun says. “I’d never be able to compete with her.”

“Hey, that’s not the Choi Yeonjun I know,” Rosé frowns. “The Choi Yeonjun I know never compares himself with anyone, and if he wants something or someone, he always gets it or them.”

“I’d get Choi Soobin, trust me,” Yeonjun chuckles. “But…”

“You don’t like him.”

“Yeah.”

Rosé sighs, shaking her head. “You’re so stupid at times, Yeonjun.”

“hey!”


	2. The Bet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for all the kudos, everyone <3

After fifteen minutes of endless bantering, Rosé and Yeonjun finally arrive at their house. Even though Rosé bought the house with her own money, she and Yeonjun call it their house, because Yeonjun doesn’t like and want to live with his parents, especially since they’re always fighting, and sometimes even bring Yeonjun in it, too.

“What do you want to eat today?” Rosé asks after she unlocks the front door, so they can enter.

“Anything as long as it’s food,” Yeonjun says, closing the door behind him. “I’m so hungry.”

“Yeonjun, you literally ate lunch three hours ago.”

“So?”

Rosé sighs, taking off her coat. “Fine, I’ll make us some food. Go work on your homework if you have any.”

“That’s boring,” Yeonjun frowns. 

Rosé rolls her eyes at Yeonjun, making the younger snicker. He walks toward his room, which is upstairs two doors down from Rosé’s. He enters his room, and closes the door behind him. He places his backpack down on the floor, walks toward his bed, and flops down on it. He lets out a soft moan at how  _ comfy  _ his bed feels, feeling as if he could stay there forever. Unfortunately, he can’t, so with a sigh, he sits up. Ignoring what Rosé told him to, Yeonjun grabs his phone, and dials Beomgyu’s number.

Beomgyu picks up a few seconds later. “Hello?”

“Hi, Beom,” Yeonjun greets. “You busy?”

“Yeah, actually.”

Yeonjun raises an eyebrow. “Really? You have no friends besides me, Kai, Soobin, and Taehyun.”

“E-exactly,” Beomgyu says. He lowers his voice into a murmur, “I’m at Taehyun’s house right now.”

Yeonjun’s eyes light up. “Ooh, really?! What’s happening? Are you and Taehyun finally doing the deed?”

“Hyung!” Beomgyu exclaims. “We barely know each other!”

“Yet, you’re  _ so  _ in love with him.”

“W-whatever,” Beomgyu mutters. “He’s just helping me with my English homework.”

“Are his parents home?”

“Hyung, what does that-”

“Just answer my question.”

Beomgyu sighs. “No, his parents aren’t home.”

“Hmm, okay,” Yeonjun says teasingly. “Are you sure that’s all you guys are doing?”

“Why did you call me, hyung?” Beomgyu asks, ignoring Yeonjun.

The blue-haired male snickers. “No reason. I’m just bored. Rosé-noona told me I had to do my homework, but I don’t want to.”

“You never want to,” Beomgyu mumbles.

“That’s true.”

“Well, just do your homework, hyung,” Beomgyu says. “I need to leave, and focus on Taehyun.”

“Are you going to  _ finally  _ tell him you like him?” 

“Um… Bye, hyung!”

Without letting Yeonjun say another word, Beomgyu hangs up.

“That coward,” Yeonjun mutters with a small smile, placing his phone down. He stares at the wall in front of him, before deciding to get up, and start working on his homework, just like Rosé told him to do ten minutes ago.

* * *

The next day at school, Yeonjun arrives early. Which is understandable (not to him, though) since his only ride is Rosé, and the female is a teacher here, so she has to arrive early. Yeonjun doesn’t mind arriving early at school, but what he does mind is that sometimes, he isn’t fast enough to avoid a conversation with his dad. His dad is like a ninja, or an FBI agent—he’s able to find him anywhere at any time. 

Maybe if Soobin arrived at their school an hour before their classes begin as well, then maybe Yeonjun wouldn’t mind arriving early.

Yeonjun sighs, and he walks toward the field, sitting down against a tree. He takes out his phone, and since he’s bored, he goes to the group chat between him, Beomgyu, and Hueningkai. He knows neither of them is awake, so he starts spamming them with random emojis and messages. He snickers to himself, before his eyes widen as he gets a message from Soobin.

(they had given each other their number a few months ago, since they were partners for a small project.)

But, before Yeonjun can see what Soobin sent him, he hears footsteps approaching him, and he lets out a groan.

“Hi, son.”

Looking up, Yeonjun locks eyes with his dad, the principal of his high school. “What do you want, dad?”

“Is that really a way to greet your father?” he says, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Yeonjun replies. “What do you want? I’m kinda busy here.”

“What are you doing?”

“Texting my friends.”

“Yeonjun, that’s not being busy.” 

“It is to me, and you’re interrupting me,” he says. “Can’t you leave me alone for once? Go talk with your kids that you had with your other wife. I’m sure they’d  _ love  _ to talk to you.”

Whilst Yeonjun hates both of his parents, he hates his dad more, since he left him and his mom for another lady.

“Yeonjun, stop,” his father says sternly. “I have the right to talk with you. I’m your father, and you’re my son, so show me some respect.”

Yeonjun glares up at his dad, getting up to look at him in the eye. “I’ll never show you respect, father. It means _jack_ to me that you’re my father. Over my  _ dead body _ , I’d respect your poor ass. Who the fuck do you think you are? You bastard.” Not letting his father say another word, Yeonjun grabs his bag, shoulders it, before storming away, trying to hold back his anger.

“Choi Yeonjun, come back here!”

The bluenette ignores his father, continuing to walk. Yeonjun doesn’t know where he’s heading, but lets his feet lead the way. He feels like someone is calling his name, but he ignores the voice, feeling tears blur his vision. He doesn’t even know why he’s crying; his dad isn’t worth crying over. Yet, here he is, fat, wet tears rolling down his face as he sniffles, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. 

It isn’t until someone grabs his wrist softly that he breaks out of his trance.

Looking up, Yeonjun feels his heart drop as he recognizes Soobin.

“Hyung,” he says softly, “are you okay?”

At the question, Yeonjun breaks down, letting out sobs. Soobin frowns, and he pulls Yeonjun to his chest. Since it’s still a bit early, there aren’t any other students in the hallway, leaving Soobin and Yeonjun alone. Soobin wraps his arms around Yeonjun’s thin waist, letting Yeonjun cry against his chest. Yeonjun grips the fabric of Soobin’s shirt, wetting the fabric with tears and wrinkling it. Soobin doesn’t mind—he just rubs Yeonjun’s back comfortingly, hoping to calm him down.

After what seems like forever, Yeonjun’s sobs come down into sniffles, then cries, and finally, sniffles. He stands there against Soobin’s chest, his grip on Soobin’s shirt weakening. But he doesn’t let go, and doesn’t want Soobin to let go, either.

“You okay now, hyung?” he eventually asks gently.

Yeonjun sniffles, nodding meekly. “I-I’m sorry about your shirt.”

“It’s okay, hyung,” Soobin assures. He pulls away, but doesn’t let go of Yeonjun. Soobin wipes the remaining tears on the older’s face away with his thumb, letting it softly graze Yeonjun’s cheek. “W-why were you crying, hyung?”

Unlike Beomgyu and Hueningkai, Soobin doesn’t know Yeonjun that well. They met at the beginning of their freshman year, which was three years ago. But that doesn’t mean they know each other’s personal life. The only thing Yeonjun knows about Soobin’s personal life is that both his parents are alive, and he has an older brother and sister. The only thing Soobin knows about Yeonjun’s personal life is that he doesn’t live with his parents. Soobin doesn’t know whom Yeonjun is living with now, and why he isn’t living with his parents. But Soobin knows it’s none of his business, and it’s up to Yeonjun whether he wants to tell him or not.

“I-it’s nothing,” Yeonjun lies. “I-I just cry easily.”

Soobin doesn’t believe him. “You sure? You can tell me anything, hyung.”

Yeonjun looks at Soobin, the younger’s eyes holding concern in them. Yeonjun smiles, but he doesn’t want to tell Soobin anything. Especially not with the way he’s feeling right now, and  _ especially  _ since he knows his dumb mind spills all his secrets when he’s sad and depressed.

So instead, Yeonjun gives Soobin the realest smile he can muster. “I-I’m sure. Th-thanks for worrying, Soobinie.”

The raven-haired male still doesn’t believe Yeonjun, but doesn’t want to push it. “If you say so, then, hyung. What are you doing here so early?”

Yeonjun sighs in relief internally, relieved that Soobin dropped the subject. “M-my cousin is the physics teacher, and you know how teachers always have to be here early. W-what are  _ you  _ doing here so early?”

“My football coach wanted to mee with me,” he explains. “Hopefully, it’s nothing bad, but he did sound mad when I read his email.”

Yeonjun lets out a small giggle. “How can someone sound mad over an email?”

Soobin shrugs, looking down at Yeonjun. Soobin lets out a small smile, glad there’s a smile on the bluenette’s face. “I don’t know, but there we go, hyung. There’s the beautiful smile everyone loves to see.”

(and by ‘everyone’, soobin means himself.)

Yeonjun feels his cheeks heating up, not expecting the compliment from Soobin. “O-oh, shut up. Go talk with your coach. Good luck, Soobinie.” The ravenette smiles, and that’s when he realizes his arms around still around Yeonjun. The bluenette seems to realize that as well, since he quickly pulls away from Soobin. “S-sorry.”

Soobin nods. “B-bye, hyung. See you later. And please don’t cry again. I don’t like seeing you cry.”

Yeonjun was actually planning on crying in the bathroom whilst skipping one of his classes, but his plan immediately goes down the drain once Soobin says that.

“I-I won’t, then,” Yeonjun says. “Thanks for being there for me, Soobin.”

The ravenette nods. He bows to Yeonjun, before walking away to go meet with his coach. Yeonjun sighs, but a small smile grows on his face. He’s surprised he stopped crying so fast. Usually, it’d take him  _ hours  _ to stop, even if it’s something stupid, like his father. And the only reason why Yeonjun didn’t cry as long was because…Soobin was with him.

Yeonjun smiles at the thought.

* * *

“That’s gay.”

“You think everything is gay, hyung.”

“Because it is.”

Hueningkai rolls his eyes. “Why are you even saying the video Mrs. Park is showing is gay? There’s not one gay thing about it.”

“I’m not calling the video gay, you noob,” Yeonjun says, looking at Kai. Yeonjun points to a desk a few feet away from them. “I’m saying  _ Beomgyu’s  _ gay.”

Hueningkai raises an eyebrow, and he looks toward where Yeonjun is pointing. There he sees Beomgyu, and following the older’s gaze, Kai can see that Beomgyu is staring at Taehyun. Somehow, Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai all have their third period together, which is English. Soobin isn’t here, though, since he has a meeting at the student council. Yeonjun wishes he was here, though.

“That is pretty gay,” Kai mutters in agreement. “If you think about it, though, both Beomgyu-hyung and Taehyun are dumb and blind.”

“Why do you say that?” Yeonjun asks.

“Well, Beomgyu-hyung is because he won’t tell Taehyun about his feelings,” Hueningkai says. “And Taehyun is because he can’t see that hyung has feelings for him.”

“At least they’re soulmates, then,” Yeonjun says. “It must feel amazing to be in love.”

“You should know,” Kai chuckles.

Yeonjun groans. “Not this again, Kai. I need to pay attention to class.”

Hueningkai rolls his eyes. “That’s the last thing you’d be doing, hyung.”

“Shh, I’m paying attention.”

Kai shakes his head, but sits back down properly on his seat. The class continues watching the video their teacher is showing them, before they hear the door open. Without having to turn around, Yeonjun knows it’s Soobin who enters, making a small smile grow on his face.

“Sorry I’m late,” Soobin apologizes, bowing. “The meeting took longer than expected.”

“It’s fine, Soobin,” the teacher assures, pausing the video. “Take your seat, please.”

Soobin nods. His eyes drift over toward his seat, but it’s already taken. His eyes roam the classroom for an empty seat, finding one next to his favorite hyung. Soobin smiles, and he walks to the desk, sitting down next to the bluenette. It seems as if Yeonjun hasn’t realized he’s here yet, focusing on the video. Soobin chuckles, and unzips his backpack to take out Yeonjun’s and his partner’s notebooks.

“Hyung,” Soobin calls out in a whisper. Yeonjun doesn’t respond. “Hyung!”

Yeonjun hears someone calling out ‘hyung’ in a familiar voice, so he looks up, surprised to see Soobin next to him. “Soobin? What are you doing here?”

“My seat’s taken, and this was the only one available,” he explains. Soobin hands Yeonjun the notebooks. “Here. Thanks for letting me borrow them.”

Yeonjun had honestly forgotten he let Soobin borrow his and his partner’s physics notes. Yeonjun smiles, grabbing them from Soobin.

“Were these notes enough?” Yeonjun asks, just in case.

Soobin nods. “Yeah. Thanks again, hyung.”

Yeonjun smiles, and he winks at Soobin. “Of course. Anything for you, Soobinie.”

Meanwhile, Hueningkai is watching the interaction between Soobin and Yeonjun behind the oldest. There’s a smile on Kai’s face, finding their interaction cute. He wishes they would just date each other, since he and Beomgyu have been shipping them for so long. But of course, being the dumbasses they are, both Soobin and Yeonjun say they have no feelings for each other.

Kai calls that bullshit.

But again, it’s not like he can do anything about it.

Hueningkai sighs, and continues paying attention to the video. When it’s finished, the teacher turns off the projector, and a student turns on the lights. Everyone is blinded by the bright lights, but get used to it soon. 

“Alright, now that you’ve all watched the video, I have an important announcement,” the teacher says. “Today we’re having a new student. She came from Jeju-si, so please be nice to her.” Many whispers filled the room, especially since their new student will be a girl. The teacher doesn’t do anything to stop them, and goes to open the door. Once it is opened, she smiles at someone, and leads them toward the front. As their eyes land on the new student, everyone’s jaw drops. “Everyone, this is our new student. Please introduce yourself.”

The new student, who’s a  _ beautiful  _ raven-haired female, smiles, before she bows to the class. “H-hello, everyone. M-my name is Park Soo-young, but you can all call me Joy if you’d like. Um, I came from Jeju-si to Seoul because of my father’s job, and…” ‘Soo-young’ (or ‘joy’ as she wants to be called) is in deep thought, probably thinking of what she should say next. “And my favorite color is red, I guess. Um, yeah, I think that’s it.”

The teacher smiles. “Alright, thank you, Joy. You can sit next to Beomgyu. Beomgyu, please raise your hand.”

The raven-haired male is a bit surprised, but he raises his hand, smiling at Joy. The older female smiles at him back, before walking to the empty desk next to him. Yeonjun glances over to Beomgyu and Joy, surprised to see the two engulfed in a conversation. Out of curiosity, Yeonjun lets his eyes drift toward Taehyun, surprised to see that the blonde seems…jealous and a bit sad that Beomgyu is paying more attention to Joy. 

“Hey, Kai,” Yeonjun says, patting the younger’s knee.

“What, hyung?”

“Look.” Yeonjun motions to Beomgyu and Taehyun. “Taehyun’s jealous because Beomgyu’s talking with Joy.”

“He doesn’t look jealous to me,” Hueningkai says.

Yeonjun rolls his eyes. “Look at the frown on his face. He’s looking at Beom and Joy, too.”

“Hm, maybe Taehyun  _ does  _ like Beomgyu-hyung, too,” Kai mutters.

“Okay, so now that we’ve gotten over Shakespeare, now we’ll be starting Romeo and Juliet,” the teacher says. “For y’all’s first assignment, you’ll pair yourselves with a partner, but there can only be a group of two. Go choose a partner, before I choose for you.”

Soobin and Hueningkai don’t even have to ask Yeonjun if he wants to be their partner, since Yeonjun’s already getting up from his seat to dash to Joy. He’s always been the friendly type, and always loves to make new friends.

“Hi,” he greets, sitting down next to Joy.

The ravenette looks at him with a smile. “Hi.”

“Do you want to be my partner?” he asks. “I’m Yeonjun.”

“Um, sure…Yeonjun,” Joy says. 

Yeonjun smiles at her. He’s glad to see Beomgyu and Taehyun are partners already, even though Taehyun seems a bit mad at Beomgyu. Yeonjun looks over to Soobin and Kai, seeing that they’re partners already as well. The teacher soon gives them what their project will be about, and Joy’s and Yeonjun’s will be about how Romeo’s and Juliet’s love was forbidden.

The two surprisingly start working on their project immediately. Joy and Yeonjun get right to work, and as they do, they start a conversation with each other. They mostly laugh, and Yeonjun finds out that Joy is extremely fun to be around. 

By the end of third period, Joy and Yeonjun are already friends.

“What’s your fourth period?” Yeonjun questions as he and Joy pack up their things.

“Um…” Joy gets her schedule from her pocket, unfolding it. “Dance.”

“I have dance, too,” Yeonjun says excitedly. “I can show you the way.”

Joy beams. “Really? Thanks, Yeonjun.”

The bluenette nods with a smile, before he gets up, and he and Joy leave their third-period classroom.

* * *

By the time it is lunch, Joy and Yeonjun are practically besties for life. Soobin, Beomgyu, and Hueningkai aren’t surprised, but they are surprised at the fact that Yeonjun has barely paid any attention to them. Soobin and Beomgyu don’t have dance for their fourth period, but Kai does, yet Yeonjun paid more attention to Joy. Hueningkai didn’t mind, since Taehyun was there as well, but it wouldn’t hurt Yeonjun to at least acknowledge Kai, too.

“If you want, I can even show you around the school,” Yeonjun offers as he and Joy pack up their things.

“Ooh, I would love that, Yeonjun,” she says. 

Yeonjun nods, shouldering his bag. “Well, since it’s lunch now, do you want to sit with me and my friends?”

“Yeah, sure,” Joy says.

Yeonjun smiles, and he and Joy walk out of the classroom. They head to the cafeteria, get their food, before heading toward an empty table. Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai soon join them.

“Wow, hyung, you’re still talking with the new girl?” Beomgyu says.

“Duh,” Yeonjun says. “Everyone, meet Park Soo-young.”

“Hyung, we all know who she is,” Taehyun chuckles. “She introduced herself to everyone in third period.”

“I-I know, but I thought you guys wouldn’t remember,” Yeonjun says. “Where’s Soobin?”

“Coach wanted to see him,” Hueningkai informs.

“Again?”

“He is the team’s captain, hyung,” Beomgyu reminds. 

“I know, but the coach literally wants to see him every five minutes,” Yeonjun says.

“Why do you care, anyway, hyung?” Kai says with a small smirk. “I thought you didn’t care about him.”

“They’re still friends, Kai,” Taehyun says.

“See, thank you, Taehyun,” Yeonjun says.

“I know, but Beomgyu-hyung nor Taehyun asked about him,” Hueningkai says. “And you always ask about him, hyung.”

“Who’s Soobin?” Joy asks.

“He’s Choi Soobin,” Beomgyu starts. “Captain and quarterback of the football team, the student council’s president, and the nicest boy you’ll ever meet here. He’s also known as Yeonjun-hyung’s crush.”

Yeonjun glares at Beomgyu. “He’s not my crush.”

“You have a crush on Soobin, Yeonjun?” Joy questions, surprised.

“Hyung says he doesn’t, but we all know he does,” Kai says. 

“Does Soobin like you back?” Joy says, looking at Yeonjun.

“No,” he frowns. “He has a dumb crush on this dumb cheerleader. Mina Sharon Myoi.”

“Oh, I know her,” Joy says. “She’s my partner in my first period. Doesn’t she have a girlfriend?”

“Doesn’t mean other people can’t have a crush on her,” Yeonjun grumbles.

“Well, since you say Soobin doesn’t have a crush on you, I have a proposition to make,” Joy says. Weirdly enough, there’s a smirk on her face.

“What’s that?” Beomgyu asks.

Taehyun giggles, whilst Yeonjun and Hueningkai smack their foreheads at Beomgyu.

“A ‘proposition’ is a suggested plan or idea, hyung,” Taehyun explains.

“Oh,” Beomgyu says, feeling dumb. “Pfft, I knew that.”

“Sure you did,” Kai mutters underneath his breath, but Beomgyu hears it. He kicks Hueningkai’s shin underneath the table, making Kai kick him back.

“What proposition do you want to make, then, noona?” Yeonjun questions.

“Since you say Soobin isn’t in love with you,” Joy starts, “why don’t you make Soobin fall in love with you, Yeonjun?”

Beomgyu’s eyes widen. “Wow, we never thought of that.”

_ “Can  _ you make Soobin-hyung fall in love with you, hyung?” Taehyun asks.

“Yeah,” Yeonjun scoffs. “I can make  _ anyone  _ fall in love with me. This will be a piece of cake.”

“Oh, yeah?” Joy’s smirk turns bigger.  **“I bet you can’t make Choi Soobin fall in love with you.”**

Yeonjun raises an eyebrow at Joy, but he’s always down for a challenge. **“Bring it on, then.”**


	3. Soobin’s House

“Are you guys sure this ‘bet’ is going to be a good idea?” Taehyun asks with a small frown on his face.

“Yeah,” Yeonjun says, eating a spoonful of his food. “What’s the worst that can happen?”

“A lot of bad things happen to people who say that,” Beomgyu says, giving Yeonjun a look.

“Please, that only happens in movies,” he says, rolling his eyes. “Nothing will happen.”

“If you two are really doing this,” Hueningkai says, taking a sip of his grape juice, “what will the winner get?”

Joy and Yeonjun look at each other, realizing they didn’t really think of the winner’s prize.

“If Yeonjun loses,  _ I  _ get to date Soobin,” Joy finally says, making everyone’s eyes widen. “Soobin will only be  _ mine _ , and mine only. Even if we break up, Yeonjun can’t be with him.”

“Isn’t that a bit unfair?” Beomgyu slowly questions.

Joy shrugs. “Take it or leave it, but that’s  _ my  _ prize.”

“Fine,” Yeonjun says, seeming to not have a problem with it. “If Joy gets to have Soobin, and I can’t, if  _ I  _ win, then Joy has to give me a hundred bucks.”

“A hundred bucks?” Taehyun repeats in disbelief. “Are you sure, hyung? Joy’s going pretty far, and you just want a hundred bucks?”

“Yeah,” Yeonjun says. “As I said, I can make  _ anyone  _ fall in love with me.  _ Especially  _ Choi Soobin. I have him wrapped around my little finger. Sooner or later, he’ll be in love with me. He’ll be so  _ obsessed  _ with me, he won’t want to leave me alone.”

Beomgyu and Kai can’t argue with that—Yeonjun’s been able to do it to other boys over the past few years. Making Choi Soobin fall in love with Yeonjun will be a piece of cake.

“So, we have a deal, then?” Joy says, extending her hand.

Yeonjun smiles, and he proudly shakes Joy’s hand firmly. “We do. The bet’s on, Park.”

“May the best one win, Choi.”

* * *

Since Yeonjun doesn’t have his last two periods with Soobin, he dreads going to his fifth and sixth period. Once they’re both  _ finally  _ over, Yeonjun dashes out of his sixth-period classroom to try to find a certain handsome, tall, raven-haired boy. Luckily, Yeonjun knows Soobin is either in the student council’s office, or in the field outside practicing for their upcoming game.

Yeonjun checks the office first, walking inside. He knows he might see his father, but he’s planning on ignoring the male at all costs. Once he steps foot inside, he, unfortunately, does see his father talking to the principal assistant, which is ironically his new wife, but Yeonjun ignores them, walking toward the secretary.

“Hello, Mr. Kim,” Yeonjun greets with a smile.

The secretary looks up, smiling at Yeonjun. He knows the younger, since he’s, you know, his boss’s son. Practically everyone in the school knows who Yeonjun is because of his father.

“Hello, Yeonjun,” the secretary returns, smiling back. “What may I do for you?”

“Is the student council’s president here?” Yeonjun asks.

“No,” the secretary replies. “I think he went to the field to practice with his team.”

If Soobin’s practicing with his team, then that must mean he’s with Beomgyu and Hueningkai, since they’re also part of the football team. 

“Okay, thanks,” Yeonjun says. 

The secretary nods. “Anytime, Yeonjun.”

The blue-haired male smiles and bows at the secretary, before he turns to start leaving. Just as he’s stepping foot out of the office, he feels a rough hand grab his wrist. And not in a soft grip, either, which means he can’t pull himself out of this.

“Son, I’m so glad to see you here.”

Yeonjun doesn’t bother hiding back his groan. “What do you want, father?”

“You remember Ae-Ri, right?” he says, motioning toward his wife.

Yeonjun gives his father a bored look, not bothering to look at ‘Ae-Ri.’ “Is that all? I have places to be.”

“Just get straight to the point, honey,” she suggests.

Yeonjun glares at her. “Mind your own business, Kang.”

“Hey, it’s  _ Choi _ ,” his father says sternly.

“I don’t see a ring on her finger,” Yeonjun says. “For all I know, you’re still married to mom.”

His father clenches his jaw. “I’m not.”

“Then why are you still living with her?” Yeonjun says, raising an eyebrow. He finally looks at Ae-Ri. “Guess he’s cheating on you, too, Kang.”

“Choi Yeonjun, will you just shut up and listen?” his father snaps.

Yeonjun glares at his father, pulling his arm harshly away from his grip. “You know what, go fuck yourself. I don’t need to waste my time on someone worthless as you.” He glares at his father once more, before starting to walk away.

“Choi Yeonjun, don’t you dare walk away from me!”

“Watch me!”

Yeonjun can hear his father exhale angrily, making him let out a small smirk. He soon arrives at the field outside, seeing the football team practicing. He can see Soobin, Beomgyu, and Kai, Soobin throwing the forward passes, whilst Beomgyu catches the ball. Yeonjun smiles, and starts walking toward the bleachers to watch the three play. As he does, he realizes the bleachers aren’t empty as Yeonjun thought they were going to be. To his surprise, Yeonjun sees  _ Taehyun  _ sitting down in the second row, a binder with a paper on top of it on his lap, a pencil on his face. But he isn’t working on his homework.

Instead, Taehyun’s watching Beomgyu play.

Yeonjun smiles, and he walks toward Taehyun, sitting down next to him. The blonde-haired male isn’t surprised at the noise, smiling up at Yeonjun.

“Hi, hyung,” Taehyun greets.

“Hi,” Yeonjun returns, placing his backpack down on the floor in front of him. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, Beomgyu-hyung invited me to watch him play earlier, and I denied, saying I had to tutor a few people after school,” Taehyun starts. “But my tutoring sessions ended earlier than I thought, so I came to surprised Beomgyu.”

“You really like him, don’t you?” Yeonjun says softly.

Taehyun wasn’t expecting the question, looking down at his lap. His cheeks turn a bit red as he looks up at Beomgyu again. “Y-yeah.”

Yeonjun smiles. “Ask him out, Tae.”

“Are you crazy?” he practically exclaims. “H-hyung doesn’t like me.”

_ Kai was right—Beom and Tae really  _ are  _ stupid.  _ “How are you so sure?”

A small frown forms itself on Taehyun’s face. “He makes it so obvious. Besides, the way he was with Joy-noona earlier made it pretty obvious that he’s in love with her.”

Yeonjun has to laugh at that. Taehyun looks at him in confusion.

“What are you laughing at, hyung?”

“Tae, the last time Beom liked a girl was back in fifth grade,” Yeonjun chuckles. “He figured out his sexuality almost four years ago, so he doesn’t like girls, Tae. Sure, he thinks they’re pretty, but he wouldn’t  _ date  _ them. He’d rather date boys.”

“S-so are you saying I have a chance?” Taehyun asks hopefully.

“Yeah,” Yeonjun says. “Ask him out, Tae. I’m sure he’ll say yes.”

Taehyun squeals, and surprises Yeonjun by hugging him. Yeonjun smiles, though, hugging Taehyun back. Taehyun pulls away eventually, smiling nervously at Yeonjun.

“S-sorry for that,” Taehyun mutters. “I-I got excited.”

“It’s okay, Tae.”

The blonde smiles. Yeonjun and Taehyun continue talking, whilst watching their boys and Hueningkai. Finally, around twenty minutes later, the coach blows the whistle, indicating the end of their practice. Yeonjun and Taehyun sigh in relief once they hear the whistle. Yeonjun grabs his phone to check the time; 5:18 PM.

Their practice lasted for almost two hours and a half.

(of course, yeonjun made sure he texted rosé where he was going to be, before coming here.)

“Finally they finish,” Taehyun says, making Yeonjun nod in agreement.

The football team is covered in sweat, but since they finish practicing, now it’s time for the cheerleaders to come out. They come out from the locker room, dressed in their uniforms. Yeonjun frowns once his eyes land on Mina Sharon Myoi. He almost lets out a gag when he sees her and Soobin talking. 

“Jealous much, hyung?”

Yeonjun snaps out of his trance to look at Taehyun, who’s looking at him with a small smirk.

“I-I’m not jealous,” he grumbles. 

Taehyun of course doesn’t believe him. “Mhm, sure.”

The older rolls his eyes, before quickly packing his stuff up. Yeonjun zips his bag close, before shouldering it, running toward Soobin. The younger isn’t expecting to see Yeonjun, but the bluenette surprises him by engulfing him into a hug, despite being drenched in sweat.

“H-hyung, what are you doing here?” he asks, pulling Yeonjun away by holding his thin waist lightly.

“I came to support you of course,” he replies. Ignoring Soobin’s sweat, Yeonjun wraps his arms around Soobin’s neck, holding him tightly. “You did  _ amazing _ , Soobinie,” he whispers in the younger’s ear. “So amazing that you deserve an award.”

Beomgyu and Hueningkai seem to have heard him, though. Especially since they’re right next to the older two. Beomgyu makes a disgusted face, whilst Kai lets out a small frown.

“Get a room, hyungs,” Beomgyu says.

“Hey, why does Soobin-hyung and  _ I  _ don’t?” Hueningkai frowns. “I worked hard, too. Beomgyu-hyung and I both did.”

Yeonjun finally takes the chance to acknowledge Beomgyu and Kai. “Oh, hi, guys. Didn’t see you guys there.”

Beomgyu rolls his eyes. “Can you guys get a room? No one wants to see you guys flirting.”

“W-we’re not flirting, Beom,” Soobin says, a bit flustered.

“We’re not?” Yeonjun looks at Soobin in surprise, his arms still wrapped around his neck, whilst Soobin’s are still wrapped around Yeonjun’s waist. “I thought we were, Soobinie.” Yeonjun lets out a pout, and digs his head in the crook of Soobin’s neck. Despite still being sweaty, Yeonjun can still smell Soobin’s cologne, which makes him let out a soft smile. 

“Well, if you want to be flirting, then we are, hyung,” Soobin says. He turns to his team, unwrapping one of his arms from Yeonjun’s waist. “Good job, guys. You can all go home now. We’ll meet again tomorrow.”

Soobin’s, Beomgyu’s, and Hueningkai’s teammates let out a grunt, grabbing their stuff. They pass by Soobin and the other three, but a few of them smirk and wink at Yeonjun. The bluenette rolls his eyes at them. His eyes are focused on Soobin, and Soobin only.

“Are you going home, hyung?” Kai asks.

“Yeah,” Soobin replies. “My mom’s making dinner, and she wants all of us to be there.”

Yeonjun opens his mouth to say something else, but the ringing of his phone interrupts him. He lets out a small huff, unwrapping his arms around Soobin’s neck to grab his phone from his pocket. He takes it out, seeing that it’s Rosé who’s calling him.

Yeonjun answers the call. “Hello?”

“Hi, Jun,” Rosé greets. “Are you still at school?”

“Yeah,” Yeonjun replies. “Aren’t you still here, though?”

“Um, no?” Rosé says, a bit shyly.

_ “Noona!  _ You’re my only ride!”

“I-I know, but…” Rosé seems to hesitate, and Yeonjun rolls his eyes at her. “Y-you know Kim Jisoo?”

“Let me guess…you have a date with her.”

“Y-yeah,” Rosé says shyly. “I-I don’t what time I’ll be back, but since it’s late, there’s some food in the fridge. I think. If not, I left some money on the counter, so you can order pizza.”

“Um…” Yeonjun glances at Soobin, Beomgyu, and Hueningkai, fortunately seeing that they’re talking with each other about…football? “A-actually, noona, is it okay if I stay at a friend’s tonight?”

“You know you don’t have to ask, but which friend?”

“S-Soobin.”

Yeonjun can practically hear the smirk in Rosé’s voice. “Soobin, huh?”

_ “Noona,”  _ Yeonjun whines. 

“You can go, but make sure you wear protection,” Rosé chuckles. “Do you want me to pick you up, or will Soobin be a gentleman, and drop you off?”

“He’ll drop me off,” Yeonjun assures. He doesn’t even have to ask Soobin if he can—Soobin will do it whether he can or not.

“You got a keeper there, Jun,” Rosé says. “Anyway, I have to leave. Stay safe. Love you.”

Yeonjun lets out a small smile. “Love you, too, noona.”

Their call ends, so Yeonjun puts his phone away. Once they notice Yeonjun’s phone call is finished, Soobin, Beomgyu, and Kai look at Yeonjun.

“Who was it, hyung?” Soobin asks.

“Rosé-noona,” Yeonjun replies. “She was telling me she has a date, so she won’t be home. Speaking of which, Soobinie, can I come home with you?”

“Okay, hyung,” he says with a smile. “Will Rosé-noona pick you up?”

Yeonjun shakes his head. “She says she can’t.”

“Then I'll drop you off,” Soobin says, making butterflies freaking fly in Yeonjun’s stomach. But he shakes his head internally, getting rid of the thoughts. “Well, let’s go home now if you’re ready, hyung.”

“I am,” he says. Yeonjun turns to look at Beomgyu. “By the way, Beom, Tae’s here. He’s been waiting for you for the last fifteen minutes.”

Beomgyu’s eyes widen, and his eyes dart to the bleachers. Indeed he sees Taehyun, the blonde scrolling through his phone.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner, hyung?!” Beomgyu exclaims as he quickly grabs his things, running toward the bleachers.

Soobin chuckles. He looks at Hueningkai. “Hyuka, do you have a ride home?”

The youngest nods. “Yeah. Lea’s going to pick me up.”

“Tell her I said hi,” Yeonjun says. “And that we should hang out again soon.”

Kai chuckles. “Will do, hyung.” As if on cue, his phone dings. He takes it out, seeing that Lea texted him. “Speaking of the devil, she’s here. Bye, hyungs.”

“Bye, Kai,” Soobin and Yeonjun return in unison.

Hueningkai smiles at them, before walking out of the field. He says bye to Beomgyu and Taehyun as well, before finally leaving the school’s grounds. Yeonjun notices Beomgyu and Taehyun talking as well, shy smiles on both their faces. Yeonjun smiles, hoping one of them will  _ finally  _ confess their feelings tonight.

“You ready to go, hyung?” Soobin asks.

Yeonjun looks up at Soobin through his eyelashes. “Sure, Bin.”

The younger smiles, and he unwraps his other arm from Yeonjun’s waist, making him oddly miss the warmth. Soobin gathers his stuff, before returning to Yeonjun. The two talk and laugh on the way to Soobin’s car, and being the gentleman that he is, Soobin opens the passenger’s side car door for Yeonjun.

“What a gentleman,” he says as he gets inside.

“Anything for my favorite hyung,” Soobin replies, closing the door behind Yeonjun.

The bluenette lets out a small chuckle, buckling himself in. Soobin gets inside the car as well, closing the door behind him. He places his bag in the backseat, before turning on the car, and buckling himself in. Once the car is on, Soobin shifts the gear to reverse, and, placing his hand on the back of the passenger seat, which is where Yeonjun’s sitting, Soobin turns to look in the direction he’s going, so he doesn’t crash into something or someone. 

Whilst Soobin might be doing an innocent thing, he isn’t to Yeonjun. The bluenette can feel Soobin’s finger brush against his nape and blue hair every five seconds, which makes him slightly shudder. Soobin’s jaw is more showed off, and Yeonjun trails his eyes up Soobin’s jawline, until his eyes land on Soobin’s lips. They look so pink and soft, and Yeonjun wonders how it would feel like to kiss Soobin.

Yeonjun’s mind starts to wander to how Soobin’s lips will feel on his other  _ certain  _ body parts, but he quickly gets rid of the thoughts, not wanting to pop a freaking boner in front of Soobin.

As the younger drives them to his house, Soobin and Yeonjun talk and laugh on the way. They talk about random things, both of them making jokes. They arrive at Soobin’s house almost twenty minutes later, and he parks in the garage, turning off his car.

“We’re here, hyung,” he announces.

“Wow,” Yeonjun says, gaping at the sight of the garage.

Another thing that makes Soobin incredibly hot and likable is that his family is  _ loaded _ . Loaded with  _ money _ , to be exact. 

Now, Yeonjun isn’t a gold digger, and he’ll never chase after someone for their money, but he does like the fact that Soobin’s rich. Maybe if they date, Soobin would buy him anything he wanted, even-

_ Choi Yeonjun, stop. Focus. _

Yeonjun shakes his head. He grabs his bags, and Soobin unlocks the car, so they can get out. They do, and Soobin locks the car behind them. He leads Yeonjun to the garage door that leads them inside his house ( _ mansion _ ), and lets Yeonjun walk in first. Yeonjun smiles at him, walking inside. He gapes at the inside of Soobin’s  _ mansion _ , still not used to how  _ fancy  _ everything looks.

Hence why Yeonjun has only been here twice.

“Wow,” he repeats. “Beom and Kai are so lucky to see this almost every day.”

Soobin smiles, closing the door behind them. “You overexaggerate, hyung. This is nothing.”

_ “Nothing?!”  _ Yeonjun repeats in disbelief. “Choi Soobin, this is  _ everything _ . Comparing my house to yours, mine is like a tiny pebble, whilst yours is a huge fucking rock cliff.”

Soobin chuckles. “If you say so, hyung.”

They then hear footsteps, making them look up. Their eyes land on a female around her thirties to early forties, wearing a white v-neck long-sleeve blouse tucked into black trousers, a black belt around her waist, and black pointy-toe flats. Her raven hair is curled, and there’s makeup on her face. She opens her mouth to call out for Soobin, but her red-tinted lips turn into a smile when she notices Yeonjun. 

“Oh, Yeonjun, right?” she says, surprising the bluenette. 

Yeonjun nods, bowing sort of nervously to Soobin’s mom. “H-hello, Mrs. Choi. I-it’s very nice to see you again.”

Soobin’s mom smiles. “Likewise, Yeonjun. Are you going to join us for dinner? I made it.”

“Of course, especially since you made it, Mrs. Choi,” Yeonjun replies.

Soobin’s mom chuckles. “Great. Soobin, honey, very nice to see you finally home, but please go wash up, before you hug me.”

Soobin lets out a small laugh. “As you wish, mom. Hyung, I’ll leave you in my mom’s capable hands.”

Yeonjun nods, but deep inside wishes Soobin wouldn’t leave him alone with his mom. Once Soobin’s gone, Yeonjun smiles at his mom, bowing to her again.

“Th-thank you for letting me in your home, Mrs. Choi,” he says. “I-it’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“Of course, Yeonjun,” Soobin’s mom says. “The more, the merrier.”

Yeonjun nods. “Do you need any help setting the table?”

“I would ask Soobin’s sister, but she’s putting on her makeup,” Soobin’s mom sighs, rolling her eyes. “If you don’t mind, Yeonjun.”

“Of course I don’t, Mrs. Choi.”

Yeonjun follows the female into the kitchen, where they start a conversation together. Yeonjun’s nerves slowly start to vanish, seeing that Soobin’s mom isn’t as scary as he thought she was going to be. Maybe Soobin gets that from her. Almost fifteen minutes later, they finish setting up the table, and Soobin’s mom calls out for her family, which is her husband, oldest son, oldest and only daughter, and youngest son.

As Soobin’s dad, older brother, and sister come down, Yeonjun greets them with a ‘hi’, bow, and smile. They do the same, surprised to see him. They get situated at the table, waiting for Soobin. The ravenette soon appears, dressed in a black shirt underneath a midnight blue unbuttoned long-sleeve button-up tucked into black jeans, and black combat boots. He has light makeup on, and his raven hair is parted to the left, making Yeonjun hold back a moan.

_ Ohmygod, he looks freaking good. _

“Sorry for taking so long,” he says apologetically as he sits down next to Yeonjun.

“It’s fine, honey,” Soobin’s mom assures. “We all ready to eat?”

Everyone nods, so they start eating. As they do, Soobin’s mom sparks up a conversation with Yeonjun, and he answers everyone’s questions as honestly as possible. Soobin shakes his head at the questions his parents ask Yeonjun, hoping they won’t embarrass him.

“So, Yeonjun, are you planning to date my son?” Soobin’s dad asks, making both Soobin and Yeonjun spit out their food.

_ “Dad.” _

“E-excuse me?”

“Well, Soobin’s mom and I both know Soobin’s pansexual, so we’re just wondering if you two have something going on,” his dad explains.

Yeonjun nervously chuckles. Although he made a bet to make Soobin fall in love with him, Soobin’s family doesn’t need to know. 

“U-uh, we’re just friends, dad,” Soobin fortunately replies. “N-nothing’s going on between us.”

Speaking of the bet, Yeonjun steps in. “Something could, though.”

Soobin’s eyes widen, and he looks at Yeonjun. “H-hyung?”

“It won’t harm us if we date,” he says with a small smirk, leaning closer toward Soobin. “Isn’t that right, Soobinie?”

The ravenette’s face turns as red as a tomato, but he doesn’t pull away. “H-hyung, we’re in front of my  _ parents  _ and  _ siblings _ ,” he hisses quietly.

“So? Let them see.”

“As much as I enjoy watching my younger brother suffer, I really want to eat in peace,” his brother speaks up, much to Soobin’s relief.

“Th-thanks, hyung.”

Yeonjun chuckles, and he finally pulls away. “Don’t worry, Binnie, we’ll continue later.”


	4. Temptation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HOPE KANG TAEHYUN HAS THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER, I LOVE HIM SO FREAKING MUCH 😩💜💜💜💜💜🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

To Soobin’s relief, Yeonjun doesn’t tease him for much longer. The six continue eating their dinner, and when they’re all done, Yeonjun offers to help pick up the plates. Soobin’s mom declines of course, but Yeonjun’s already doing it, placing them in the sink. 

“I’ma be back,” Soobin’s sister calls out, checking her phone.

“Where are you going, Ah-In?” her father demands.

“To a party with Dong-hyun,” she replies as if it isn’t obvious. “He’s holding a party at his place, and as his girlfriend, I have to be there.”

“Choi Ah-In-”

“Let her, Choi,” Soobin’s mom steps in. “You know how Ah-In is if she doesn’t get her way.”

A small smirk grows on Ah-In’s face. She grabs her coat, heading to the door. “See y’all later, family! Yeonjun, you seem cool. We should go shopping or something later.”

Yeonjun chuckles. “Deal, noona.”

Ah-In winks at Yeonjun, before walking out of her house, closing the door behind her. Yeonjun hears Soobin’s parents sigh, and sees them shake their heads. Soobin’s mom continues picking up the table with Soobin’s help, and Yeonjun tries not to stand there awkwardly.

“Mrs. Choi, do you need any more help?” he offers.

“No, thank you, Yeonjun,” Soobin’s mom says. “Soobin’s father and I will be upstairs. You guys can do whatever. Just make sure to not be too loud or something.”

Yeonjun’s face turns red, knowing Soobin’s mom is talking about her son having sex with Yeonjun. The blue-haired male looks at Soobin, seeing that he doesn’t seem to mind, too busy washing the dishes. Yeonjun takes a shaky breath, trying to wash down his nervousness as he walks toward Soobin.

“Do you need any help?” Yeonjun asks.

Soobin looks at Yeonjun, smiling at him, which shows his  _ cute  _ dimples on both his cheeks. “No, hyung. I’m okay. You’re a guest, anyway. You’re not allowed to do anything.”

“Come on, I want to help,” Yeonjun says.

“Fine,” Soobin says, knowing from experience that Yeonjun’s too stubborn. “You can dry the dishes, whilst I hand them to you.”

“Deal,” he says with a smile. Yeonjun stands next to Soobin, waiting for the younger to give him dishes. Soobin does, and the two work in silence. They enjoy it, not wanting to interrupt the calm silence. That is until Yeonjun speaks up again, “So…you seeing anyone, Soobs?”

“Hyung,” he says, giving Yeonjun a look.

“What?” he says innocently. “I’m just asking.”

“No, I’m not seeing anyone,” Soobin sighs. “Don’t want to anytime soon, either.”

That piques Yeonjun’s interest. How is he going to make Soobin fall in love with him if Soobin isn’t looking for a relationship?

However, maybe Soobin is one of those weird people who fall in love, but don’t want a relationship with whomever their loved one is.

“Why?” Yeonjun can’t help but ask, curiosity sparking in him. “I’ve heard the last time you dated someone was back in freshman year. That was three years ago.”

Soobin glances at Yeonjun, a small frown on his face. “You really believe all those rumors, hyung?”

“N-no, it’s just-”

Soobin sighs, cutting off Yeonjun. “You don’t have to lie, hyung. I know you believe them.”

“I-I never said that,” he mutters.

“It’s fine, hyung,” Soobin says. “Believe what you want.”

“Soobin…”

“What?” The younger looks at Yeonjun. “Is there something wrong?”

“Is there something wrong with  _ you _ ?” he says. “You…seem a bit off.”

“How about we talk about something else?” Soobin suggests, dodging what Yeonjun said. “How were your classes today?”

Yeonjun sighs to himself, but answers Soobin’s question. Yeonjun figures he triggered something in Soobin, so he doesn’t want to push it too far that the younger starts hating him. They, fortunately, finish washing the dishes without punching each other.

Soobin sighs in relief, drying his hands with a paper towel. “What do you wanna do now?”

“How about we watch a movie in your room?” Yeonjun suggests, making sure he emphasizes the ‘in your room’ part. 

“Sure,” Soobin agrees, not having a problem with it. “Do you want to make popcorn?”

“Yeah,” Yeonjun says. “How about you make the popcorn, and I choose the movie?”

Soobin nods. “Okay, hyung. I’ll be up soon.”

Yeonjun nods back. He’s been here enough times—even though he’s only been here twice—to know which room is Soobin’s. Yeonjun climbs up the stairs, walking down the hallway until he reaches the younger’s room. Yeonjun knocks on the door to make sure he didn’t accidentally choose Soobin’s  _ brother’s  _ room, before opening the door once he doesn’t hear Soobin’s brother's reply. Yeonjun walks inside the room, gaping at how big it is. Soobin’s bedroom is probably two times bigger than Yeonjun’s.

The walls of the bedroom are painted sky blue, with a white trim at the bottom. The wall behind Soobin’s bed is a darker shade of blue and stripes. Soobin’s bed is vast, with a blue comforter, black, blue, and white pillows. The headboard is black, whilst the medium-sized couch against the end of Soobin’s bed is a dark gray. There is a desk a few feet away from Soobin’s bed, as well as a swivel chair. A fifty-five inch flat-screen TV is a few feet in front of Soobin’s bed. There are two other doors, which Yeonjun guesses are Soobin’s closet and bathroom.

Yeonjun walks toward the TV, kneeling in front of it to look through the movies. He skims through their spines, until his eyes land on a familiar one:  _ Fifty Shades of Grey _ .

That piques Yeonjun’s interest, but he puts the movie back. He doesn’t want to get Soobin riled up, and he might see Yeonjun’s intentions, since he’s obviously seen this movie before.

_ But  _ if Yeonjun wants to win the bet, he’ll do anything in his power to have Soobin fall in love with him.

Hesitating, Yeonjun grabs the  _ Fifty Shades of Grey  _ movie, taking its DVD out of its packet. He turns on the DVR, placing the DVD inside. He grabs the remote control, and turns the TV on, flipping to the channel that’ll show them the movie. Its credits are starting to roll, so Yeonjun puts pause to wait for Soobin. Whilst he does, Yeonjun gets comfortable in Soobin’s bed, pulling the blankets up to his chin.

Soobin arrives five minutes later, with a big bowl of popcorn in his hands. He has two bottles of some type of juice as well, smiling at Yeonjun.

“I’m back,” Soobin announces. “Sorry if I took too long, hyung.”

“You didn’t,” Yeonjun assures, putting his phone away. “You ready?”

Soobin nods, closing the door behind him. He places the bowl of popcorn and bottles of juice down on the nightstand. Yeonjun looks at the bottles, finally realizing that those bottles are indeed not ‘juice.’ They’re bottles of  _ soju  _ instead.

_ “Soju _ , Soobin?”

“What?” he says innocently, walking to the light switch. Soobin turns the light off, walking toward his bed. He sits down next to Yeonjun, handing him a bottle. “It’s just soju.”

“Soobin, we have school tomorrow.”

“It’s Friday tomorrow,” he says, shrugging. “We can skip. No harm would be done.”

Yeonjun sighs, shaking his head. He grabs the bottle Soobin is handing him, and presses play on the movie. They get comfortable on Soobin’s bed, and Yeonjun’s brave enough to lay his head on Soobin’s shoulder. In response, Soobin wraps his arm around Yeonjun’s waist, pulling him closer. Yeonjun’s a bit surprised, but he doesn’t mind, finding it comfortable.

The movie soon starts, and Soobin and Yeonjun eat the popcorn, whilst drinking their soju. It isn’t long before the  _ steamy  _ scenes start playing, though, which makes Soobin let out a soft gasp. Yeonjun holds back his smirk, nonchalantly stuffing his mouth with popcorn. The steamier the scenes get, the more Soobin shifts in his spot. Yeonjun glances down between Soobin’s legs once Soobin shifts for the fifteenth time, not surprised to see  _ something  _ sticking up from inside Soobin’s pants.

“H-hyung, what movie did you put?” he asks, trying not to sound nervous.

Yeonjun shrugs. “Oh, just  _ Fifty Shades of Grey _ .” He finally looks up at Soobin, the younger looking back at him.

“W-why would you put this movie, hyung?” Soobin says. 

Yeonjun shrugs. “I wanted to watch it. Why? You have a problem with it, Soobinie?”

The raven-haired male shakes his head. “N-no, hyung.”

Yeonjun nods, and he puts his attention back on the movie. They continue watching it, and once they finish the popcorn, Soobin is quick to get up, making Yeonjun fall on the bed because of Soobin suddenly moving.

“Where are you going?” Yeonjun questions.

“T-to get more popcorn,” Soobin says, totally not sounding nervous.

“Stay,” Yeonjun says with a small pout. 

“D-don’t you want more popcorn?”

“I want  _ you.” _

“Hyung,” Soobin whines. “You promised you’d stop teasing me.”

“I did promise that,” Yeonjun agrees, “but I never said I’d stop  _ flirting  _ with you.”

Soobin rolls his eyes. “W-whatever. I-I’ma still get more popcorn. For  _ me.” _

“Fine,” Yeonjun chuckles.

Soobin spares Yeonjun another glance, before finally leaving his room. Yeonjun sighs, and he grabs his phone from the nightstand. He unlocks it, seeing multiple messages from Beomgyu. Yeonjun had muted his phone before Soobin arrived, so nothing would interrupt them, in case something  _ spicy  _ happened. Fortunately, Beomgyu sent him those messages barely a minute ago. Yeonjun lets out a small laugh, unlocking his phone to see the messages.

**beomgyu:** **  
** hyung!!!!!!  
_ sent at 7:33 p.m. _

**beomgyu:** **  
** omg i’m alone w tae in his room and i think he’s going to ask me out  
_ sent at 7:34 p.m. _

**beomgyu:** **  
** help me out hyung 😫  
_ sent at 7:34 p.m. _

**beomgyu:** **  
** help the poor plz 🙏  
_ sent at 7:34 p.m. _

**beomgyu:** **  
** OMG HYUNG TAEHYUN JUST ASKED ME OUT   
_ sent at 7:40 p.m. _

**beomgyu:** **  
** KANG FUCKING TAEHYUN JUST ASKED ME OUT WTF   
_ sent at 7:40 p.m. _

**beomgyu:** **  
** ABORT MISSION ABORT MISSION  
_ sent at 7:41 p.m. _

**beomgyu:** **  
** HYUNG WHERE ARE U ANSWER ME  
_ sent at 7:45 p.m. _

Yeonjun chuckles, and decides to call Beomgyu instead. He presses on Beomgyu’s number, and the line starts dialing.

Beomgyu picks up almost immediately. “Hyung!”

“Hey, Beom,” Yeonjun greets. “I saw your texts. So you and Tae are dating now, huh?”

“I never said that, hyung,” Beomgyu says. “I just said Taehyun asked me out. What the fuck,  _ Kang Taehyun  _ just asked  _ me  _ out!! Oh my god, I thought he didn’t like me.”

“Just proves how dumb you are, Beom,” Yeonjun says. “What did you say?”

“Of course I said yes!” Beomgyu exclaims. “I’m walking home now, but we have a date on Saturday at eight!”

Yeonjun squeals. “Oh, I’m so happy for you, Beom. Call Soobin, so you can tell him the news.”

“Okay!” Beomgyu says excitedly, before he hangs up.

Yeonjun smiles, and he goes to Taehyun’s contact. Surprisingly, Yeonjun and Taehyun gave each other their numbers on the day they met, so Yeonjun has Taehyun’s number. He presses on Taehyun’s contact, and decides to FaceTime him instead of calling him normally.

Taehyun answers a few seconds later, his face popping onto the screen, confusion written over it. “Hi, hyung.”

“Hi,” Yeonjun returns. “Are you busy right now, Tae?”

The blonde shakes his head. “No. Why?”

“Well, I heard from a birdie that you asked Beomgyu out,” Yeonjun says with a small smile. “Is that true?”

At Yeonjun’s question, Taehyun’s face turns red. “I-I did, and he said yes.”

“See, I told you he would,” Yeonjun says. “Where are you taking him?”

“W-well, we both like this diner that’s twenty minutes from my house, so I want to take him there,” Taehyun says. “Thanks, by the way, hyung. If it weren’t for you, I don’t think I’d ever ask Beomgyu-hyung out.”

“Anything for you guys,” Yeonjun says. “Honestly, it was plain torture watching you and Beom pine for each other.”

“B-Beomgyu-hyung chased after me?”

Yeonjun nods. “Yeah. I’m surprised you couldn’t see the hearts in his eyes, especially since you’re so smart.”

Taehyun smiles sheepishly. “Yeah, me neither. A-anyway, hyung, since Saturday is our date, I-I was wondering if you could come to my place.”

“To help you get ready?” Yeonjun asks.

Taehyun nods. “I-I would ask my mom or sister, but they’re both in Daegu for business and school things.”

“It’s fine, Tae,” Yeonjun says. “I’d  _ love  _ to come. What time is your guys’ date?”

“At seven,” Taehyun replies. “I told Beomgyu-hyung I’d pick him up at seven.”

Yeonjun nods. “Then I’ll come around four. Is that okay?”

Taehyun nods this time. “Th-that’s perfect, hyung. Where are you, though? It looks dark where you are.”

“Oh, I’m at Soobin’s house,” Yeonjun explains. “Need to work on the bet, you know.”

“Yeah, but make sure Soobin-hyung isn’t around if you mention the bet,” Taehyun says pointedly. “We don’t want him to find out.”

“Right,” Yeonjun mutters. “Great thinking, Tae. Are you going to ask Beom to be your boyfriend on Saturday?”

“M-maybe,” Taehyun answers shyly. “I-if everything goes well, I will.”

“Everything will be fine, Tae,” Yeonjun assures. “Don’t worry.”

Taehyun nods. “Thanks, hyung. Good luck with Soobin-hyung.”

“Thanks, Tae,” Yeonjun says. He then hears the door to Soobin’s bedroom open, meaning Soobin is back. “Anyway, Tae, I have to leave now. Soobin’s back.”

Taehyun nods again. “Okay, hyung. Bye. I’ll see you tomorrow at school.”

Yeonjun waves at Taehyun, before the two end their call. Yeonjun places his phone down, looking at Soobin.

“Took you long enough to come back,” Yeonjun says.

“Sorry, I was talking with Beom,” Soobin says apologetically. “Were you talking with Tae?”

“Yeah,” Yeonjun says. “He asked Beom out on a date.”

“I know,” Soobin chuckles, sitting down next to Yeonjun. “I’m going to Beom’s house on Saturday with Hyuka to help him get ready. Are you going to come?”

Yeonjun shakes his head. “I’m going to Tae’s to help him.”

“Oh, okay,” Soobin says. He gets comfortable again, and gulps when he remembers what movie they’re watching. “W-want to continue watching the movie?”

“Sure,” Yeonjun responds. He presses play on the movie, and they continue watching. He can hear Soobin’s breath hitch next to him every five seconds, not expecting when a steamy scene might come. Unsurprisingly, Soobin brought more soju, so Yeonjun grabs another bottle. He opens it, taking a long swig.

The movie finally gets to the kinky part, where Christian ties up Anastasia, covering her eyes with a silky tie, tying her hands to the poles of the bed. Both Soobin and Yeonjun shift in their spots, feeling something stir inside of them. It might be because of the alcohol from the soju, but Soobin presses his hand on Yeonjun’s thigh. Moaning soon fills the room from the movie, and Soobin’s hand drifts higher on Yeonjun’s thigh.

“S-Soobin, what are you doing?” he asks, even though he doesn’t mind.

Instead of replying, Soobin looks at Yeonjun, pressing his thumb on the older’s bottom plush pink lip. Soobin’s thumb grazes it, whilst he can’t find himself to look away. Yeonjun lets Soobin touch his lip, before grabbing his face, and slamming their lips together.

Immediately, Soobin kisses back, entangling his fingers in Yeonjun’s blue hair with one hand, whilst the other one drifts down to Yeonjun’s waist. Yeonjun sits up, climbing onto Soobin’s lap to straddle him. Soobin lets his hands drift down until they reach Yeonjun’s hips, clenching the fabric of the jeans Yeonjun is wearing. Yeonjun lets out a soft moan against Soobin’s lips, and Soobin inserts his tongue inside Yeonjun’s mouth, exploring his cavern. Yeonjun lets him, wrapping his arms around Soobin’s neck to bring their bodies closer.

Once they’re out of breath, the two pull away, panting a bit heavily. They look at each other with hooded eyes, before Soobin leans toward Yeonjun’s neck. At first, Soobin presses softly kisses on the soft skin, before the soft kisses turn into harsh bites, kisses, and sucking. Yeonjun bares his neck, entangling his fingers in Soobin’s raven hair. Yeonjun’s sober enough to bite his bottom lip, so he won’t moan too loud for Soobin’s family to hear.

“I’ve been dying to get my hands on you for so long, hyung,” Soobin whispers as he pulls down the collar of Yeonjun’s shirt to kiss his collarbone.

“Trust me, I’ve been wanting it, too,” he says breathlessly.

Soobin continues to suck hickeys into Yeonjun’s collarbone, eventually reaching his shoulder. Soobin pats Yeonjun’s hip to get him off his lap, and Yeonjun does, laying down on the spot next to Soobin. The ravenette gets up, climbing on top of Yeonjun. He brings their lips into another kiss, and Soobin intertwines their fingers together, pinning Yeonjun’s hands to each side of his head. 

Soobin pulls away to kiss down Yeonjun’s neck again, but he can’t continue, since Yeonjun’s phone starts ringing, and there’s a knock at the door. 


	5. Close

Soobin and Yeonjun quickly pull away from each other, Soobin getting off Yeonjun. The blue-haired male adjusts his shirt and collar, grabbing his phone. He sees Beomgyu’s name on the caller ID, and he’s quick to answer. Meanwhile, Soobin turns off the TV, dashing to turn on the light. He hides the bottles of soju, before running to answer the door. He feels more panic rise in him when he sees his mom on the other side, but smiles at her.

“M-mom,” he says, a bit breathless. “W-what are you doing here?”

“I was checking up on you guys,” his mom explains. “I heard a moan, so I wanted to check up on you two. No one’s hurt, right?”

Yeonjun happened to have heard Soobin’s mom, cursing under his breath for being so loud.

“W-we’re both fine, mom,” Soobin says. “I-I was the one who moaned, because I hit my toe against my bed.”

His mom nods. “Well, be more careful, honey. Are you two doing okay?”

“We’re doing fine, Mrs. Choi,” Yeonjun says, covering the speaker of his phone, so Beomgyu won’t hear him.

“If you guys say so, then,” Soobin’s mom says. “Your father and I are down the hallway if you need anything, honey.”

Soobin nods, and he smiles at his mom, before closing the door as she walks away. He sighs in relief, turning back around. He hesitantly walks toward his bed, sitting down on it, but makes sure there’s a distance between him and Yeonjun. The older continues speaking and listening to Beomgyu, so Soobin takes the chance to observe him. Soobin feels guilty when he sees the purple, red, pink, and blue marks blooming into hickeys on Yeonjun’s neck and collarbone that can be seen, knowing he shouldn’t have been too rough.

Finally, Yeonjun and Beomgyu soon say bye to each other, making Yeonjun place his phone down. Soobin slowly places his phone down as well, and looks at Yeonjun.

“Is…everything okay?” Soobin hesitantly asks.

Yeonjun looks up at Soobin. “Yeah. Beom just wanted to rant some more about his and Taehyun’s date.”

The younger slowly nods, feeling awkward. “Um…I don’t think you want to continue watching the movie, right?”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Yeonjun says, winking at Soobin. “How about we clean and sober up?”

The raven-haired male nods in agreement. Soobin and Yeonjun both get up, and start cleaning the mess. Yeonjun organizes Soobin’s bed, putting the pillows and comforter back how they were. Soobin picks up the bottles of soju and bowl of popcorn, walking out of the room to put them in the kitchen. Yeonjun follows behind him after he hides his hickeys good enough. They arrive downstairs in the kitchen, and Soobin throws the bottles of soju in the recycling bin, hiding them to make sure his parents won’t see them. He washes the bowl he used to put the popcorn, before putting it back in its place. Yeonjun leans back against the kitchen island, watching Soobin, and totally not staring at the younger’s back muscles as he moves his arms.

“Do you wanna play Uno?” Yeonjun asks.

Soobin turns, raising an eyebrow at Yeonjun. “Are you sure, hyung? Last time we played Uno, you wanted to stuff your shoe down my throat.”

“True,” he mutters, making Soobin let out a small chuckle. “How about Monopoly?”

“Okay.”

* * *

Around two hours later, Soobin and Yeonjun are still playing Monopoly. They’ve gotten through six rounds so far, Yeonjun winning most of them. 

“Hyung, can’t we play another game?” Soobin whines for the nth time. “You’ve beaten me in almost all of them, anyway.”

“What if we make a b- deal?” Yeonjun suggests. “If  _ I  _ win, which I will, you have to take me out on a date.”

Soobin chokes on the gulp of juice he drank. He almost spits it out, but manages to just cough. Yeonjun giggles, patting Soobin’s back to help him stop. Eventually, he does, his eyes watering. He places his cup down, looking at Yeonjun.

“A-a  _ date _ ?”

The bluenette nods. “Yeah.”

“W-why a date?” Soobin asks, trying to not sound too nervous. “We’re just playing a game, hyung.”

“I know, but I’ve beaten you so many times, don’t you think I deserve it?” Yeonjun says, looking at Soobin with a soft smile. 

Soobin curses himself for being too nice. “Fine. And if I win?”

“I get to do your homework for a week,” Yeonjun says.

“No thanks, hyung,” Soobin mutters.

“Rude,” Yeonjun huffs. “What do you want, then?”

“You’ll be my maid for a week,” Soobin says, and surprisingly, there’s a small smirk on his face. 

“Your maid?” Yeonjun repeats. “No thanks. I’ll never be someone’s maid.”

“Well, like you said, hyung, you’re going to win, anyway,” Soobin reminds. “You won’t have to be my maid, and I’ll take you out on a date instead. So, what do you say?”

Yeonjun looks at Soobin with a frown, before sighing in defeat. “Fine.”

Soobin smiles, and they start another round. Even if Yeonjun wins or loses, he’ll still be able to spend time with Soobin, and maybe even get closer toward his goal, which is making Soobin fall in love with him. So, Yeonjun doesn’t try to win or lose—instead, he just plays normally.

But, to both his and Soobin’s surprise, Soobin ends up winning.

“What the-?” Yeonjun knits his eyebrows in confusion, wondering how in the world  _ Soobin  _ ended up  _ winning _ , and  _ he  _ ended up  _ losing _ .

“Wow,” Soobin chuckles. “I beat you, hyung.”

“Th-this isn’t fair,” Yeonjun frowns, crossing his arms across his face. “You cheated!”

“I didn’t,” Soobin says, leaning back against his chair. “Now you get to be my maid for a week straight.”

“Fine,” Yeonjun grumbles. “Do I have to call you ‘master’ or some kinky shit like that?”

“Now that you mention it, you do,” Soobin says cheekily. “Why don’t we buy you a maid dress to go along with it?”

_ “Soobin!” _

The ravenette chuckles. “I was just kidding, hyung. But I wasn’t kidding about the calling me ‘master’ part.”

“Kinky bitch,” Yeonjun mutters, making Soobin laugh.

“You wanted to the bet, didn’t you?” he says. “This is your fault, hyung.”

“Fine, whatever,” Yeonjun sighs. “When do I start being your ‘maid’?”

“Tomorrow,” Soobin says. 

“So until next Friday, I stop being your maid?”

“Yup.”

“Okay,” Yeonjun says. “I can do that. You’re not going to make suck your dick or anything like that, right?”  _ Not that I would mind, though. _

Soobin’s smug look vanishes from his face, and it turns red. “H-hyung!” 

“What?” Yeonjun says innocently. “I’m just asking.”

“N-no, I won’t make you…suck my dick,” Soobin mumbles. “You just have to do my stuff, or carry my backpack around in school, and stuff like that.”

Yeonjun nods. “That’s easy. This is going to be a piece of cake.”

“That’s what you think,” Soobin says. “Should we start cleaning up now?”

Yeonjun nods. “Yeah. I’m bored playing this game, anyway.”

Soobin chuckles, knowing Yeonjun is only saying that because he lost. They start packing up the game, and a few seconds later, they hear the front door opening. They look up, forgetting Soobin’s sister had left earlier to go to her boyfriend’s party.

“Oh, hi, noona,” Soobin greets. “I thought you wouldn’t come until tomorrow.”

Barely noticing, Soobin and Yeonjun both see that Soobin’s sister has mascara running down her face. Her eyes look red and puffy as well, which makes her face look as if she’s been crying.

“N-noona, are you okay?” Yeonjun softly asks.

“D-don’t talk to me,” Soobin’s sister says quietly, but in a rude tone. “I-I’ll be up in my room.” She doesn’t spare Soobin or Yeonjun another glance, before running up the stairs, holding her hand over her mouth. Soobin moves to go after her, but his phone starts ringing. He takes it out, seeing that Hueningkai is calling him. He sighs, knowing it’s something important, since Kai barely calls him late in the light.

“Hyung, can you go check on Ah-In for me, please?” he tells Yeonjun. 

The older nods. “Sure, Soobs.”

The younger smiles at him thankfully, and Yeonjun walks up the stairs. He doesn’t know where Ah-In’s, Soobin’s sister, room is, but he guesses it’s the one that says ‘DO NOT DISTURB’ on the door handle. Yeonjun sighs, before knocking on the door.

“G-go away,” Ah-In calls out, her voice sounding hoarse.

“N-noona, it’s me Yeonjun,” he says. “C-can I come in?”

Not wanting to be rude, since she just met Yeonjun, Ah-In replies, “F-fine.”

Yeonjun opens the door to Ah-In’s room, met with darkness. The room is pitch black, so Yeonjun flips the light switch on. At the bright light, Ah-In flinches, holding her cushion pillow closer to her chest. Now that the light is on, Yeonjun can see the tears rolling down Ah-In’s face clearer, and her mascara running down her cheeks, her eyes still red and puffy.

“H-hey,” Yeonjun greets softly. “C-can I sit down?”

Looking away, Ah-In nods. “W-what are you doing here?”

“I wanted to check up on you, noona,” Yeonjun says, closing the door behind him. “Why are you crying?”

“W-why do you care?” Ah-In grumbles. “We barely met today.”

“I know, but you’re Soobin’s sister,” Yeonjun says. “Since he’s one of my best friends, his family is my family, too.”  _ This totally doesn’t sound weird. Good job, Yeonjun. _

Ah-In lets out a scoff. “Yeah, right.”

“Come on, noona, I just want to help you feel better,” Yeonjun says. “Why are you crying?”

Ah-In sighs, figuring no harm would be done if she told Yeonjun why she’s crying. She leans back against her headboard, looking down at her lap. She holds back a sob as she thinks about her answer.

“M-my boyfriend broke up with me,” she finally says. But Ah-In says it so quietly, that Yeonjun can barely hear her.

“Y-your boyfriend broke up with you?” he repeats to make sure he heard right.

Ah-In nods, her bottom lip quivering. “M-my boyfriend of  _ five  _ years. G-god, we met back when we were sixteen, and now he doesn’t want anything to do with m-me? A-am I that worthless?”

“Noona, you’re not worthless,” Yeonjun frowns. He scoots up next to Ah-In, hesitantly wrapping his arms around her. Ah-In lets him, leaning her against Yeonjun’s shoulder. “If the bastard of your ex-boyfriend broke up with you, even though you guys have been together for five years, then  _ he’s  _ the worthless one.  _ He’s  _ the piece of shit.  _ He’s  _ the dumb one. Noona, you’re a queen. You’re not worthless. You’re far from that. One day, you’re going to find someone who will treat you right, unlike the dumbass of your ex-boyfriend.”

Ah-In sniffles. “Thanks, Yeonjun. I-I can see why Soobin likes hanging out with you, and being your bestie.”

Yeonjun smiles, feeling his face heat up. “Th-thanks, noona. Anyway, do you promise me you’ll forget about that piece of shit, and never call yourself a dumb name because of that dumb bitch?” He holds out his pinky, making Ah-In let out a small smile.

Ah-In chuckles, wrapping her pinky around Yeonjun’s. “I-I promise, Yeonjun.” The younger smiles, and he continues having Ah-In in his arms. The two stay in silence for a bit until Ah-In breaks it a few seconds later, “Y-you know, we were going to get married.”

Yeonjun’s eyes widen.  _ “Married?” _

Ah-In nods, playing with her thumbs to try to distract herself. “H-he proposed to me a week ago, but I kept the ring hidden. S-Soobin was the only one that knew. N-not even my friends did.”

“Well, we might as well not tell Soobin, then,” Yeonjun says. 

“Yeah, you’re right,” Ah-In agrees. “It’s not pretty when Choi Soobin gets mad.”

“Really?” Yeonjun says. “I’ve never seen him mad before.”

“That’s because he’s always soft,” Ah-In sighs. “It’s rare when he gets mad.”

“When was the last time he got mad?” Yeonjun asks.

Ah-In shrugs. “It’s his story to tell.”

Yeonjun is a bit surprised and confused at Ah-In’s response, but figures she’s right.

“Do you still have the engagement ring?” he says.

“Yeah,” Ah-In sighs. She gets up from Yeonjun’s arms and her bed, rummaging through her drawer. She soon finds something, and takes out a velvet box. She opens it, showing the engagement ring to Yeonjun. “I-I’ve only worn it once, and I was planning on wearing it more, since…we were planning to tell my parents next week.”

“I’m sorry, noona,” Yeonjun frowns. An idea then pops into his head. “Is his party still going on?”

“No,” Ah-In says. “Everyone sort of left, since…I made a whole show once he told me we should break up.”

“W-why did he want to break up, though?” Yeonjun hesitantly asks.

Ah-In looks down, closing the engagement box. She holds back tears as she remembers what her boyfriend. “B-because I wasn’t good enough.”

“Okay,” Yeonjun says with a fake smile, getting up from the bed. “You know how to drive, right?”

“Yeah,” Ah-In replies, looking at Yeonjun in confusion. “Why?”

“Because we’re going to that bastard’s place, egg and key his car, spray paint the word ‘CHEATER’ on it, and egg and throw toilet paper at his house.”

“His parents are going to be home soon, though,” Ah-In says.

Yeonjun shrugs. “We’ll be fast. And we’re going to show him what he’s missing out on. Noona, he’ll regret ever breaking up with you.”

“A-are you sure we can do this?” Ah-In questions doubtfully.

“Trust me, anything’s possible with Choi Yeonjun,” he says. “Come on, let’s go, before his parents arrive.”

Ah-In nods, excitement growing inside of her. She and Yeonjun leave her room, and hurry downstairs, seeing that Soobin is barely finishing talking with Hueningkai.

“Where are you guys going?” Soobin inquires once he notices his sister and Yeonjun.

“We’re going to noona’s e- boyfriend’s place,” he replies. 

“Why are  _ you  _ going, hyung?” Soobin says, raising an eyebrow.

“Emotional support,” Ah-In says for Yeonjun. “Let’s go, Yeonjun.”

The bluenette nods. “See you later, Soobs!”

“Hyung, what are you-”

Soobin can’t continue, since Ah-In and Yeonjun dash toward the front door, leaving the house. Soobin is left alone, and he shakes his head at his sister and Yeonjun, hoping they won’t do anything stupid.


	6. New Friends?

“Go, go, go,” Yeonjun says hurriedly as he quickly gets inside Ah-In’s car.

Ah-In nods, and she shifts the gear to drive to start driving away. They hear the yells of Ah-In’s ex-boyfriend behind them, and they both laugh. Yeonjun eventually has to hold his stomach since it hurts by how hard he’s been laughing for the past hour and a half.

“D-did you see the look on his face?” Ah-In giggles. “It was  _ priceless.” _

Yeonjun chuckles, nodding in agreement. “What a loser. What did you see in  _ him _ , noona? You deserve someone  _ way  _ better.”

“I don’t know,” Ah-In admits. “I was blind to love back when I was sixteen, and he was the first boy that paid attention to me.”

“That’s cute,” Yeonjun mutters under his breath. “Even so, he’s a piece of shit. You deserve someone better.”

Ah-In smiles. She and Yeonjun have just  _ trashed  _ her ex’s house. They threw eggs and toilet paper everywhere, keyed his car really good, spray-painted the word ‘CHEATER’ on both his car and house, and smashed his face with a pie. Hence why Yeonjun was hurrying to quickly get inside Ah-In’s car, since he was the one that smashed her ex’s face with a pie, and he was quick to run after him.

“That was really fun,” Ah-In says. She smiles at Yeonjun. “Thanks for doing this, Yeonjun.”

“Of course, noona,” he says. “Anything to not see you cry.”

Ah-In smiles. If Yeonjun wasn’t one of her brother’s best friends and gay, Ah-In would’ve definitely caught feelings for Yeonjun.

“Now that we got my stupid ex things over, why don’t we go shopping tomorrow?” she suggests. “Are you free?”

On Fridays, Yeonjun normally goes somewhere fun with Rosé, but he’s sure they can push it to Saturday. Tomorrow’s a school day, anyway. Rosé will probably have more work to do once they get home.

“Hell yeah I’m free,” Yeonjun says. “I’d  _ love  _ to go shopping. I need new clothes, and you have an amazing fashion taste. I’m not saying I don’t, either, but I need another opinion.”

Ah-In giggles. “Deal. I’ll pick you up after school. Is that okay?”

Yeonjun nods. He was about to ask what will happen to Soobin, before he remembers the younger has his own car. He’ll be able to drive himself to his house. Ah-In and Yeonjun continue driving back to Ah-In’s and Soobin’s house, arriving there almost an hour later. Ah-In parks in the garage, where she turns off the car, and she and Yeonjun get out.

“Do you think his parents will sue us?” he asks, barely realizing it.

Ah-In shakes his head. “His parents are barely home.”

“I thought you said they were coming home tonight,” Yeonjun says as they walk toward the garage door to walk inside the house. 

“I-I was lying,” Ah-In admits, opening the door. “I-I didn’t want to go, so I figured if I told you that, it’d spook you. But it didn’t.”

Yeonjun snickers. “I don’t get spooked easily, noona.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“About time you two came back,” says a new voice, making them look away from each other.

“What are you doing up, Soobin?” Ah-In questions. “Don’t you have an early student council meeting tomorrow morning?”

“I wanted to make sure you two came home safe,” Soobin says with a small frown. “Besides, I have to drop Yeonjun off.”

“Shoot, right, I forgot about that,” he mutters. Yeonjun takes out his phone to check the time; 11:32 PM. He sees a few other texts from Rosé, but they’re mainly about her panicking about her date with Kim Jisoo. “Sorry, Soobin. I lost track of time. Let me get my stuff, and we’ll leave.”

Soobin nods, and Yeonjun leaves them to go upstairs. He only grabs his phone charger, since his bag is in Soobin’s car. Yeonjun walks back downstairs, where he sees Soobin and his sister talking amongst themselves. Fortunately, Soobin doesn’t seem mad, so Yeonjun knows Ah-In hasn’t told Soobin about her new breakup.

“Okay, I’m back,” Yeonjun announces. “We ready to go, Bin?”

The youngest looks away from his sister to look at Yeonjun. “Yeah. Let’s go, hyung.”

Yeonjun nods. He turns toward Ah-In, and bows to her with a smile. “It was nice meeting you and hanging out with you today, noona.”

A smile crawls on Ah-In’s face as she remembers about hers and Yeonjun’s adventure. “Likewise, Yeonjun. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Yeonjun nods again, and he waves bye at Ah-In, before following behind Soobin to his car. They arrive in the garage, where they get inside Soobin’s car. Soobin turns on the car whilst buckling himself in. Yeonjun does the same, a bit surprised that Soobin doesn’t say anything. Soobin soon shifts the gear to reverse to back up from the garage and driveway, before shifting the gear to drive to start driving toward Yeonjun’s house.

“Soobin, you okay?” he finally asks after a few more seconds of silence.

Soobin glances at Yeonjun, before looking back at the road. “Yeah. Why do you ask, hyung?”

“You’re not saying anything,” he says. “Are you mad that noona and I came back late? I-I’m sorry if you are. I-I lost track of time, and the ride was pretty far, so-”

“Hyung, it’s fine,” Soobin chuckles. “I’m just a bit…stressed, I guess.”

Yeonjun raises an eyebrow. “About what?”

“Well, there’s cheerleading tryouts tomorrow,” Soobin starts. “But in the early morning, which collides with my football practice.”

“I thought you had a student council meeting,” Yeonjun says, a bit confused.

“I do,” Soobin says. “But I have the meeting first. Anyway, the cheerleading tryouts won’t allow us to practice well, and we have our big name in a week. If we don’t practice enough and try our best, our rival team will end up winning, and I  _ need  _ to win the game, since Seoul’s University’s dean is going to be there. If my team wins, I might end up also winning a scholarship.”

“Is that why Kai called you?” Yeonjun asks.

Soobin nods. “Yeah. I don’t know why Nayeon-noona decided it was a great idea to have the cheerleading tryouts tomorrow.”

“Nayeon?” Yeonjun says. “Are you talking about Im Nayeon?”

“Yeah,” Soobin says. “She’s the captain of the cheer team.”

“Oh,” Yeonjun says quietly. “Why are there going to be cheer tryouts tomorrow, anyway? Don’t they have enough people?”

“Apparently, they want more,” Soobin grumbles.

“Do you know who’s in the tryouts?”

Soobin doesn’t reply, since he’s deep in thought. Around a minute later, he says, “I think…Kim Ye-rim and Joy.”

“Joy?” Yeonjun repeats.  _ “She’s  _ trying for the cheer team?”

“I guess,” Soobin mutters. “I never thought she liked cheerleading.”

“Me neither,” Yeonjun agrees. “Maybe I can talk with Nayeon to see if I can change her mind.”

“Thanks, hyung, but I’m sure we’ll be fine,” Soobin sighs. 

“You sure?”

Soobin nods. “Yeah. My team’s pretty amazing.”

“Bragger much, Soobin?”

The younger chuckles. “I’m just saying, hyung. You know that, too.” Yeonjun rolls his eyes playfully. He and Soobin stay in silence for a bit, before Soobin remembers about his sister’s and Yeonjun’s outing earlier. “Where did you and noona go earlier, hyung?”

“Oh, we went to her boyfriend’s house,” he says. 

“I know, but why did noona want to take  _ you _ ?”

“Why do you say it as if it’s a bad thing?” Yeonjun asks with a small frown.

“I-I didn’t mean it like that, hyung,” Soobin is quick to assure. “It’s just…you and noona barely know each other, yet she went with you to Dong-hyun’s house. It’s just a bit weird to me.”

“Oh, well, you were busy, and the thing was kind of urgent,” Yeonjun partially explains. Technically, he isn’t lying.

“Going to Dong-hyun’s house was kind of urgent?”

“Yes,” Yeonjun says slowly. “Why you asking all these questions, Soobs? I thought you didn’t care about my whereabouts.”

“I-I never said that,” he mutters, feeling his face starting to heat up. 

Yeonjun chuckles. “Sure.”

“Look, I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you, okay?” Soobin says. “I don’t want anything bad to happen to noona, either. I…care about you two. You know that.”

Yeonjun smiles, deciding to tease Soobin some more. “You care about me, Soobinie?”

The younger rolls his eyes. “Yes, hyung. Are you blind or something?”

“Hey,” Yeonjun frowns. “That’s rude.”

“Of course I care about you, hyung,” Soobin says. “You’re one of my closest friends.”

“So, you only care about me because I’m a close friend?”

“Y-yeah,” Soobin says nervously. “People care about their close friends.”

“So, am I just a ‘close friend’?” Yeonjun says, raising a brow.

“To me, you’re not,” Soobin is brave enough to admit. 

Yeonjun’s eyes widen. He wasn’t expecting Soobin to be brave enough to admit that. Soobin is usually the shy type, and doesn’t admit anything that’d make him blush. But that’s just another thing that Yeonjun likes about him. To Soobin’s confession, Yeonjun feels his heart warm, and a small smile grows on his face. He opens his mouth to continue teasing Soobin some more, before they both hear a phone start ringing.

“Is that mine or yours?” Yeonjun asks.

“I think that’s mine,” Soobin mutters, taking his phone out of his pocket. He glances at the caller ID, seeing that Im Jaebum, one of his teammates, is calling him. He smiles apologetically at Yeonjun, before answering the call.

As Soobin talks with his teammate, Yeonjun leans his head against the window, tiredness coming over him. On weekdays, he usually sleeps around midnight, and it’s barely eleven-fifty p.m. No wonder he’s so tired. He lets out a yawn, staring at the roads and people that they pass by. Not long after, they arrive in Yeonjun’s block, but Soobin isn’t done talking with his teammate. Around two minutes later, they arrive in Yeonjun’s street, before stopping outside his house.

“Hold on, hyung, for a sec,” Soobin says, before he covers his phone’s speaker to talk to Yeonjun. “We’re here, hyung.”

The blue-haired male’s eyes open. Yeonjun hadn’t realized he had fallen asleep. He gets off the window, looking in front of them, indeed seeing his house. He lets out a small groan as he stretches, grabbing his bag. He turns toward Soobin, smiling sleepily at him.

“Th-thanks for the ride, Binnie,” Yeonjun says. Surprising both him and Soobin, Yeonjun leans over, and presses a soft kiss on the younger’s cheek. Yeonjun smiles at Soobin, holding back a giggle at his wide eyes and pink cheeks, before getting out of Soobin’s car, closing the door behind him.

Yeonjun walks toward his front porch, getting his keys out from his bag. He unlocks the front door with them, and pushes the door open. He still sees Soobin’s car, and blows him a kiss, before closing the front door. Yeonjun chuckles, and walks upstairs. He decides to take a shower tomorrow morning, and heads to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Once he finishes, he walks toward his room, placing his bag down on the floor by his door. He slumps down on his bed, raising his left leg slightly as he starts falling asleep.

But it’s soon interrupted when he hears his phone ding twice.

Groaning, Yeonjun gets up, and grabs his phone from his nightstand, where it’s charging. He turns on the screen, seeing two notifications from Rosé.

**rosé:** **  
** hey jun   
_ delivered at 11:58 p.m. _

**rosé:** **  
** are u home yet?   
_ delivered at 11:58 p.m. _

**yeonjun:** **  
** ya i’m home noona

**rosé:** **  
** did soobin drop u off ;)

**yeonjun:** **  
** noona 🙄

**yeonjun:** **  
** but yes he did 😌

**rosé:** **  
** if all men were like choi soobin i’d be straight

**yeonjun:** **  
** speaking of which how’s ur date w jisoo?

**rosé:** **  
** it’s going great 😋

**rosé:** **  
** we’re walking to her car rn

**yeonjun:** **  
** are u coming home?

**rosé:** **  
** :)

**yeonjun:** **  
** it’s fine noona

**yeonjun:** **  
** i’ll see if beom or kai can give me a ride

**rosé:** **  
** it’s funny how you’re older than both beomgyu and kai yet they have their license and u don’t

**yeonjun:** **  
** bye noona

**rosé:** **  
** i’m just joking jun

**rosé:** **  
** i’ll probs be home around six

**rosé:** **  
** don’t open the doors to strangers

**yeonjun:** **  
** ik noona

**yeonjun:** **  
** goodnight 💜

**rosé:** **  
** night jun 💜

* * *

The next morning, Yeonjun is up by 6:44 AM. If it weren’t for Rosé, he’d be waking up every day at least five minutes before his classes start. The weekends are the only days Yeonjun sleeps in, especially since he isn’t used to getting up early by Rosé. 

After he’s finished with his morning routine in the bathroom and showering, Yeonjun walks toward his closet. He’s always been into fashion, and is even thinking about majoring in fashion, so it’s understandable that he has a bunch of clothes and loves going shopping. Skimming through his closet, Yeonjun finally decides on an outfit, which is a blue and black striped long-sleeve oversized sweatshirt and black joggers. He would dress fancier if it wasn’t Friday.

Walking out of his room, Yeonjun heads downstairs to the kitchen. He serves himself a bowl of cereal, and as he grabs the milk from the fridge, he remembers he doesn’t have a ride today. Which is weird, since Rosé had told him she’d be back before six. But she didn’t say six in the morning or evening, so Yeonjun sighs, taking out his phone. He decides to call Beomgyu first, since Beomgyu’s always up before Hueningkai.

Beomgyu answers a few seconds later. “Hello?” 

“Hey, Beom,” Yeonjun greets. “Are you busy right now?”

“No, I’m just changing,” Beomgyu replies. “Why?”

“‘Cause I was wondering if you can pick me up,” Yeonjun says, pouring the milk into his cereal. “Rosé-noona went on a date yesterday, and she hasn’t arrived yet, so I don’t have a ride.”

“Okay, I’ll pick you up, then, hyung,” Beomgyu assures. “I’ll be there in around ten minutes.”

Yeonjun sighs in relief. “Thanks, Beom. See you soon.”

“Bye, hyung,” he says, before they end their call.

Yeonjun continues eating his cereal, and once he’s done, he washes his plate. He walks upstairs to brush his teeth, before heading back downstairs to gather the rest of his stuff. Once he has everything, he waits for Beomgyu, and hears a honk outside five minutes later.

Yeonjun slings his bag over his shoulder, making sure he turns off everything, before leaving his house. He sees Beomgyu’s white compact car waiting for him by the curb. Yeonjun closes and locks the front door behind him, before running toward Beomgyu’s car. Once he gets in, Yeonjun isn’t surprised that Beomgyu is wearing the same thing as him, but his sweatshirt is yellow instead.

“Copycatter,” Yeonjun grumbles, closing the door behind him.

_ “You  _ copied  _ me  _ first,” Beomgyu says. “I didn’t copy you.”

Yeonjun rolls his eyes. “Sure you didn’t. Creep.”

“I’m going to stop, and make you walk to school, hyung.”

“You wouldn’t,” Yeonjun says smugly. “You love me too much.”

“Who says?”

“Rude,” Yeonjun chuckles. “So, you excited about your date tomorrow?”

Beomgyu’s eyes widen. “Shit, hyung, I forgot about that. Oh my god, I still haven’t decided what to wear, how to do my hair, how to shower, if I should get Tae flowers or not, how to drive-”

“Beom, calm down,” Yeonjun says. “You know how to do almost all of those things you said. You’ll be fine.”

Beomgyu nods, even though he’s still nervous. To distract him, he says, “S-so, how did everything go with Soobin-hyung yesterday?”

At the mention of Soobin, a smile grows on Yeonjun’s face, especially at the kiss last night.

“It went fine,” he replies. “I got to bond with his sister, and she’s pretty cool. We trashed her ex’s house ‘cause he was a bastard.”

“Lucky,” Beomgyu frowns. “Next time, invite me.”

“Will do,” Yeonjun giggles. “But…I got Soobin to admit that I’m not just a ‘close friend’ to him.”

Beomgyu’s eyes widen, and he almost crashes into a trash can. “Y-you  _ what?” _

“Pay attention the road, Choi,” Yeonjun snickers. 

“S-so, are you guys dating now?” Beomgyu asks as he continues to drive.

“No, Beom,” Yeonjun says. “He just admitted I’m more than just a ‘close friend.’ Doesn’t mean we’re dating. But…” He bites his bottom lip as he thinks about what he’s going to say next. “I did kiss him on the cheek.”

Beomgyu crashes into a trash can this time.

“Choi Beomgyu!”

“What the  _ fuck _ , hyung?!” he squeals like a piglet. “You  _ kissed  _ Soobin-hyung?”

“On the cheek,” Yeonjun says. “Not on the lips, you dumbass.”

“On the lips would’ve been better,” Beomgyu mutters. Yeonjun has to agree with that. “What did he say or do?”

“Nothing,” he says with a small smirk. “I left before he could.”

“Hyung, why in the world would you do that?” Beomgyu whines. “You probably wasted your chance to date Soobin-hyung.”

“Hey, I never said I want to date him,” Yeonjun reminds. “I’m just doing all of this because of the bet. The faster I get him to fall in love with me, the better.”

Beomgyu frowns. “I agree with Tae now. The bet’s stupid.”

“Hey, you were the one that was begging me to do it.”

“Yeah, but I was joking,” Beomgyu says. “I didn’t actually think you were going to do it.”

“Well, now I am,” Yeonjun huffs. “And I’m aiming to  _ win _ , Beomgyu. I’m not letting Joy take Soobin away from me, whether I like him or not.”

Beomgyu rolls his eyes, shaking his head at Yeonjun. They arrive at their school soon, and Beomgyu parks in the school’s parking lot. He and Yeonjun get out, closing the doors behind them. Beomgyu locks the car, and they walk toward the school’s entrance. Remembering Soobin, Yeonjun turns to Beomgyu.

“Don’t you and your football team have practice today?” Yeonjun asks.

Beomgyu’s eyes widen, and he checks the time; seven a.m. “Fuck, I forgot. Thanks for reminding me, hyung.”

Yeonjun nods. He waves bye to Beomgyu as the younger starts running toward the fields. Yeonjun knows Soobin has already had his student council meeting, so now the football team practice has started. There’s only an hour left until school starts, so Yeonjun decides to watch the football team practice to kill time. Speaking of football practice, he remembers the cheer team is holding their tryouts today. Which means Yeonjun has to see Joy.

Somehow, Yeonjun doesn’t mind that much, and starts walking toward the fields. He tries to walk quickly by the office, because of a certain someone, but it’s as if he’s a vampire or something, since he pops out immediately, before Yeonjun disappears.

“Hi, son.”

It takes everything in Yeonjun to not walk away and ignore his father. If he did, his father would just grab his wrist, and they’d fight in the middle of the hallway. 

“What do you want now, father?” Yeonjun sighs. “I have somewhere to be.” 

“We need to talk,” his father says.

Yeonjun scoffs. “No thanks.”

“It includes your mother, Yeonjun. She’s here in my office.”

That makes Yeonjun perk up, and he turns to look at his father. Yeonjun hasn’t seen his mother in almost a  _ year _ , and that’s because Rosé doesn’t want Yeonjun to see his mother ever again, since she’s caused him so much pain. Yet, Yeonjun loves her with [almost] his whole heart.

“M-mother’s here?”

His father nods. “Yeah. She’s in my office with Ae-Ri.”

Yeonjun frowns at the mention of his father’s new ‘wife.’ Nevertheless, he follows behind his father into his office, almost forgetting about watching the football team practice and the cheer tryouts.  Once they arrive in his father’s office, Yeonjun sees his mom and Ae-Ri, surprisingly talking amongst each other.

“We’re back,” his father announces, making the two females look up.

Yeonjun’s mother’s eyes dart toward her son, and Yeonjun smiles at her, but she looks away. A pang of pain hits Yeonjun, but he ignores it as he sits down next to his mother.

“Hi, mom,” he greets softly. “I-I’ve missed you.”

“Hi, Yeonjun,” his mom returns. She glances at him wearily, and doesn’t return the ‘I miss you.’ Yeonjun bites his bottom lip, clenching the fabric of his joggers to not release his tears.

“W-why did you call us here, sweetie?” Ae-Ri asks, looking at Yeonjun’s father.

“Well, it’s been a while since we’ve last seen each other,” he reminds as he sits down on the chair behind his desk. “I was hoping we could have a family dinner today or tomorrow to catch up.”

“I can’t today,” Yeonjun says. “I’m busy.”

His father nods. “Tomorrow?”

“I’m free,” Yeonjun says. He looks at his mother. “M-mom?”

“Whatever,” she grumbles. “What time?”

“How about seven?” Ae-Ri suggests.

Yeonjun and his mother nod.

“Is that all, then?” Yeonjun asks.

“Yeah,” his father sighs. “Thanks for coming, Yeonjun.”

The bluenette nods, and he gets up. Before he leaves, he looks at his mother. “B-bye, mom. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

His mother just nods, not even bothering to say bye to him. Yeonjun bites his bottom lip, and walks out of his father’s office. His mind is telling him to go to the field to watch the football team practice, but his feet are leading him somewhere else. He arrives at the bathroom soon, relieved that it’s empty. He walks toward the biggest stall, and locks himself in. Tears start rolling down his face, and he finally lets out a sob, covering his mouth with his hand. He starts sliding down the wall until he lands on the floor. His body shakes with each sob and sniffle, and he hugs his knees to his chest.

But it isn’t long before he hears the door open.

Cursing under his breath, Yeonjun wipes his tears away quickly, sniffling. He stands up, and shoulders his bag. He knows his eyes are red and puffy, but he can just ignore the person in the bathroom. However, as he opens the stall door, he sees  _ Hueningkai  _ instead of a random person.

“Hyung?” Kai must’ve seen Yeonjun through the mirror. “What are you doing here?”

“U-uh, I needed to go pee,” he lies.

Hueningkai lets out a small frown, turning to face Yeonjun. “Hyung, we both know you’re crying. I can see it in your eyes that you’re not okay.”

Yeonjun holds back a sob, and he looks down at the ground. “I-I’m not.”

Kai sighs, and he wraps his arms around Yeonjun’s waist. Yeonjun wraps his around Hueningkai’s neck, and starts crying on Kai’s shoulder. Hueningkai rubs Yeonjun’s back comfortingly, letting Yeonjun cry on his shoulder. Yeonjun only cries; he doesn’t sob and sniffle as he did earlier. A few minutes later, Yeonjun finishes, and he slowly pulls away from Kai.

“You feel better now, hyung?” he asks softly, wiping Yeonjun’s tears away.

“A-a little,” he mutters. “Thanks, Kai.”

The younger nods. “Of course. What happened?”

“I-I finally saw my mom after a year,” Yeonjun says with a small sad smile. “Sh-she didn’t even acknowledge me, though, and basically ignored me. I-I love her so much, and she can’t even look my way.”

“Hyung, that’s why Rosé-noona doesn’t want you seeing her,” Hueningkai reminds. “Good thing she isn’t here, or else she would’ve whooped your mom’s ass.”

Yeonjun lets out a small smile. “Y-yeah. B-but we’re having a ‘family dinner’ tomorrow.”

“I don’t think noona’s going to let you go,” Kai says pointedly.

“I-I’ll sneak out, or lie about where I’m going,” Yeonjun says. 

“Hyung, are you sure it’s a good idea to see your mom again?” Hueningkai questions. “You only saw her for a few minutes, and look at you, you’re a mess.”

“I-I’ll be fine, Kai,” Yeonjun says, even though he himself isn’t so sure. “L-let’s go to the field.”

Hueningkai sighs. He and Yeonjun walk out of the bathroom, heading toward the field. They arrive soon, and Kai jogs to the grass, whilst Yeonjun takes a seat at the bleachers. He can see the cheer team near the football team, and notices Joy wearing clothes she can be flexible in. Sensing eyes on her, Joy looks up, locking eyes with Yeonjun.

Joy turns to the cheer team captain, Nayeon, and they speak for a while, before Joy walks up the bleachers. A few seconds later, she arrives on the one Yeonjun is on.

“Didn’t expect to see you here, Choi,” she says. 

“Me neither, but here we are,” Yeonjun says.  _ “You’re  _ trying for the cheer team?”

Joy shrugs, sitting down next to Yeonjun. “I’ve always wanted to try it, and I’m pretty flexible and good at gymnastics.”

The younger nods. “Did you make the team, then?”

“You bet I did,” Joy says proudly. “Are you going to try?”

“Nah,” Yeonjun says. “I ain’t that flexible, and most of the cheer team are brats.”

“Can’t argue with you there,” Joy sighs. She looks at the field, her eyes drifting to the football team. A small smirk grows on her face as she looks at Soobin, seeing him talking with his team. She turns back to Yeonjun. “How’s your side of the bet going, by the way?”

“Pretty good, actually,” he replies. “Soobin admitted that I’m more than just a ‘close friend’ last night.”

Joy’s eyebrows slightly raise. “Wow. Good for you, Yeonjun.”

“See, I told you,” he says. “I can make  _ anyone  _ fall in love with me. I even kissed him on the cheek, and he  _ blushed _ .”

“Just because he said you’re more than just a close friend doesn’t mean he’s in love with you,” Joy says, and to Yeonjun’s surprise, she looks a bit angry. “He probably meant that he sees you as a best friend. Not a lover. You’re  _ not  _ going to win, Yeonjun.”

“Why you so hanged over it, Park?” he retorts, raising an eyebrow. “It’s just a bet.”

“It is just a bet,” Joy agrees. “But little do you know, Choi Yeonjun, it’ll change your life forever.”

Yeonjun looks at Joy confused. “What do you mean by that, Soo-young?”

Joy smirks at Yeonjun. Instead of replying to him, she just says, “May the best win, Choi!” before walking back to the field.


	7. Weird

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> btw if you've read "the dare" or "the bet" before, plz don't spoil anything

Yeonjun frowns at Joy, wondering what she meant. Alas, Yeonjun sighs. Joy’s probably high or something, which is making her talk and think irrationally. He shakes his head at her, sort of starting to regret ever making the bet with  _ her _ . To try to get his mind off Joy, Yeonjun turns his attention to the football team, seeing that they have started their practice. Yeonjun can’t help but stare at Soobin, especially at how concentrated he looks. His jaw is firm and clenched, which makes him look hotter than he already is.

Yeonjun continues watching the practice—Soobin—for the next ten minutes, until his phone starts ringing. He groans quietly, taking out his phone from his pocket. He checks the caller ID, seeing that Rosé is calling him.

With a sigh, Yeonjun answers the call. “Hello?”

“H-hey, Jun,” Rosé greets, her voice sounding hoarse. Probably because she just woke up. “W-where are you?”

“At school,” Yeonjun replies. 

_ “What?!” _

“Noona, it’s 7:35,” Yeonjun says. “School starts in twenty-five minutes.”

“Fuck,” Rosé curses under her breath. “I forgot about that. Hey, I know it’s a lot to ask, but can you tell your…father I’ll be late?”

“I don’t want to, but sure, noona,” Yeonjun sighs. “Just hurry up, please.”

“I will,” Rosé promises. “I’ll see you soon, Jun.”

“Okay,” he says. “Bye, noona. Hurry up.”

“I will. Bye.”

Rosé and Yeonjun end their call, and Yeonjun shakes his head at Rosé. He places his phone next to him, and looks up, seeing that Soobin is already staring at him. Yeonjun feels his cheeks heat up a bit, but he smiles at Soobin, blowing him a kiss. Soobin shakes his head at Yeonjun, and turns toward his team. Yeonjun sees them exchange a few words, and Soobin motions his head toward the bleachers. Beomgyu and Hueningkai raise an eyebrow at Soobin, but there are small smirks on their faces.

“It’s okay, hyung,” Beomgyu says. “Go talk with your  _ girlfriend.” _

“He’s not my girlfriend,” Soobin grumbles. “Um, do whatever you want, guys. I’ll be back.”

His team nods, and start talking amongst each other. Soobin leaves them to jog up the bleachers. He soon reaches the one Yeonjun is on, and smiles at him.

“H-hi, hyung,” Soobin greets, a bit breathlessly. Maybe because he just ran up the bleachers, but mainly because of the kiss Yeonjun gave him last night.

“Hi, Bin,” Yeonjun returns, smiling up at Soobin. “You guys are doing great.”

Soobin smiles. “Thanks, hyung. What are you doing here?”

“Beom dropped me off,” Yeonjun explains. “Rosé-noona went on a date last night, and she isn’t back yet.”

Soobin nods. “Who did she go on a date with?”

“This girl she’s been seeing for months,” Yeonjun says, shaking his head. “They met in a gay bar, clicked, but they haven’t gone on a date until yesterday.”

Soobin chuckles. “Well, it’s good for her, at least. What about you? When’s the last time you’ve been on a date?”

“When I was fifteen,” Yeonjun replies after thinking for a bit. “Went on a date with a boy, but he ended up being…weird, so it didn’t work out.”

Soobin laughs, and he finally sits down next to Yeonjun. “How was he weird, hyung?”

“He ate weird,” he starts. “He chewed  _ extremely  _ loud, and I swear I caught him picking his nose and eating his booger, since he thought I wasn’t looking. Finally, when he dropped me off at my house, he wanted to place his  booger  _on_ me, and that I should do the same to him. I pushed him away, and ran out of the car to my front door, and slammed the door close behind me.”

Soobin starts laughing. Yeonjun looks at him in amusement, but Soobin doesn’t stop. It takes a while, but Soobin’s laughter quietens down, and he wipes a tear from his eye.

“W-why did you agree to go on a date with him, then?” he asks.

Yeonjun shrugs. “He was pretty cute, and I made a bet with someone. I lost, so I had to ask the cute, nerdy guy out.”

“What was the guy’s name?” Soobin says.

“Park something,” Yeonjun mutters. “I don’t remember. How about  _ you _ , Soob? When’s the last time you’ve been on a date?”

Soobin tenses up at the mention of going on a date. But he figures no harm would be done if he told Yeonjun. “A-around three years ago.”

“What happened?” he continues, eager to know.

“Y-you know, hyung, I should go back,” Soobin says, getting up. “M-my team’s waiting for me.”

Yeonjun can see how uncomfortable Soobin is, so he doesn’t want to push him any further. “Oh, okay. Good luck.”

Soobin nods. He doesn’t spare Yeonjun another glance, already running down the bleachers. Yeonjun sighs. He and Soobin didn’t even get to talk about what happened last night. Yeonjun wonders why Soobin always dodges and ignores questions or even  _ mentions  _ of going on a date, or having a partner. Yeonjun starts to think maybe something happened to Soobin that Yeonjun’s doesn’t know about—they’ve only known each other for three years, barely four, after all. Maybe Soobin isn’t comfortable enough to tell Yeonjun anything yet.

But maybe Beomgyu or Hueningkai know.

* * *

“Hyung, are you even listening to me?”

It takes a few seconds, but Yeonjun snaps out of his trance. He looks next to him to see who’s talking to him, locking eyes with Kai. The younger is raising an eyebrow at him, and Yeonjun smiles at him sheepishly.

“Heh, sorry,” Yeonjun apologizes. “What were you saying?”

“Do you know where Soobin-hyung is?” Hueningkai repeats. “He’s not here.”

Yeonjun raises an eyebrow, and he scans the classroom for Soobin’s seat. They’re in their third period, so Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Kai are all in the same class. Once his eyes land on Soobin’s seat, Yeonjun sees that it’s empty, much to his surprise. He turns back to Hueningkai.

“He’s probably in another student council meeting,” Yeonjun says. “He always has those around this time.”

“Yeah, but he’s usually back by now,” Kai says pointedly. “Do you think he’s okay?”

“Kai, I’m sure Soobin is fine,” Yeonjun says. “You worry too much. Let’s focus on our assignment.”

“Hyung, we both know we’re not going to.”

Yeonjun giggles. The four are in their English class, and their teacher gave them an assignment to work on with their partner. The class is filled with chatter and laughter, since most of the students’ partners are their friends. Yeonjun’s eyes dart toward Beomgyu and Taehyun, seeing the two talking amongst each other, blushes on both of their cheeks.

“Hey, Joy’s not here, either,” Yeonjun realizes. “You don’t think…?”

Hueningkai makes a disgusted face. “Ew, no. Soobin-hyung would never fuck someone he doesn’t know, especially if it’s a girl.”

Yeonjun nods. Somehow,  _ relief  _ washes over him. Why should he be relieved? He doesn’t care if Soobin sleeps with someone or not. That should be the least of his concerns.

(we all know it’s not, though.)

“Joy’s probably in the bathroom,” Kai says. “Girls love to fix their makeup.”

“I guess,” Yeonjun mutters. “Hey, look at those two lovebirds. I’m so glad they’re finally going on a date tomorrow.”

Hueningkai smiles, already knowing whom Yeonjun is talking about. Kai turns, looking at Beomgyu and Taehyun. The two are still talking, but Yeonjun nor Hueningkai think the two are working on their assignment. They’re probably talking about their date tomorrow. 

Speaking of which, Yeonjun curses. “Fuck.”

“Why’d you curse, hyung?” Kai asks.

“I forgot Beom’s and Tae’s date is tomorrow,” Yeonjun explains. “I agreed to help Tae get ready, but I have my ‘family dinner’ tomorrow.”

“What time do you have to be with Tae?” Hueningkai says.

“I told him I’d be at his house around four, since their date is at seven,” Yeonjun replies.

“You’ll have enough time,” Kai assures. “Just get ready for the dinner before you leave to go to Tae’s house, and then walk to your parents’ house.”

“Hueningkai, you’re a genius,” Yeonjun mutters. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Because you don’t use your brain,” Kai says quietly, but Yeonjun hears him, making him hit his head. “Hey!”

“That’s what you get for basically calling me dumb,” Yeonjun frowns. Hueningkai smiles at Yeonjun, and the older rolls his eyes. Surprisingly, they go back to their work, and are quiet for a few minutes. That is until Yeonjun starts daydreaming, thinking about the morning, especially about his conversation with Soobin. That makes Yeonjun remember something else. “Hey, Kai?”

The younger looks up from his paper. “Yeah?”

“Has Soobin dated anyone before?”

Whilst Soobin and Yeonjun have known each other for only three years, they have both known Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai for longer. Soobin and Yeonjun didn’t meet each other until their beginning year of high school, which is weird, since they have the same friend group.

Kai tenses up, weirdly enough. He clears his throat, figuring Soobin wouldn’t hate him if he just replied to this question. “H-he has, actually. B-back in freshman year.”

“Who did he date?” Yeonjun continues.

“A girl,” Hueningkai replies. “Her name was Choi Haley. She was a year older than Soobin, and was Korean American, hence her first name. She and Soobin-hyung dated for five years, since they started dating in fourth grade, weirdly enough. But…they broke up in ninth grade.”

Yeonjun’s eyebrows slightly raise. “Why? What happened?”

Kai shrugs. “That’s not my story to tell. Soobin-hyung has to tell you.”

Yeonjun groans. “You know how secretive he can be, Kai.”

“He’ll tell you eventually, hyung,” he assures. “He just isn’t comfortable yet. He has to know you for at least five years to tell you everything.”

“Two more years to go, then,” Yeonjun mutters. “Can’t you tell at least  _ one  _ more thing, Kai?”

“Sorry, hyung.”

Yeonjun pouts. “You’re no fun.”

* * *

For the rest of the school day, Yeonjun doesn’t see Soobin. The younger probably hangs out with the younger four, and makes sure to stay away from Yeonjun. The blue-haired male wonders if he did something wrong to make Soobin avoid him. Maybe because of his noisiness earlier. Yeonjun sighs at himself, shaking his head. 

But at least Yeonjun might be able to see Soobin at his house later. After school is finished, Soobin’s sister, Ah-In, is supposed to pick up Yeonjun, so they can go shopping. If they go to Ah-In’s house, Yeonjun can see Soobin. Hopefully.

Currently, Yeonjun is in his sixth period, which is jewelry design. Not only does he love fashion, but he loves designing it as well. He doesn’t only like designing clothes, hence why he’s in a jewelry design class. They’re working on designing earrings, but class is going to be over in five minutes.

When those five minutes are over, the class packs up their stuff, putting their earrings away to keep them safe. They walk out of the class, and Yeonjun excitedly walks out of it, excited to finally go shopping with Ah-In. Just as he steps out of the school’s gate, he hears someone behind him calling him out.

“Hyung!”

Turning around, Yeonjun’s eyes land on a familiar blonde-haired male.

“Hey, Tae,” Yeonjun greets.

“Hi,” Taehyun returns. “Are you going home, hyung?”

“No,” Yeonjun replies. “Soobin’s sister is picking me up.”

Taehyun’s eyes slightly widen. “Sh-she is?”

“Yeah,” Yeonjun says. “We’re going shopping. Do you wanna come?”

“I have to see with my mom first,” Taehyun mutters. “B-but hyung, I want to ask you something.”

“Sure, what is it?”

Taehyun bites his bottom lip. “Sh-should I really take Beomgyu-hyung to the diner? I-I’ve been hearing a lot of people say that’s a boring place to go to.”

“Tae, ignore those people,” Yeonjun says, wrapping his arm around Taehyun’s shoulder. “You and Beom both love the diner, and it’s a special place for you two. Look, we’re going to be with Soobin’s sister, and she knows  _ way  _ more about love than I do. Come with us, and you can ask her.”

Taehyun hesitates. He has to ask his mom first if he can go out, because if he doesn’t, he’ll get in trouble. If he does, he probably won’t be able to go on his date tomorrow.

“L-let me make a quick call to my mom, then,” he mutters.

Yeonjun nods. “I’ll wait for you by the tree.”

Taehyun nods this time, and he walks away to talk with his mom. Yeonjun walks toward the said tree, and leans against the bark. He skims the cars to see if he can recognize Ah-In’s. He doesn’t, which means she’s not here yet. He sighs, and takes out his phone to kill time. Around two minutes later, he hears footsteps coming toward him, and he looks up, seeing Taehyun.

“So?”

“M-my mom said I can go,” he says with a smile. “Is Soobin’s sister here?”

“Um…” Yeonjun skims the cars, finally noticing Ah-In’s. “Yeah. She’s in the black car by the red curb.”

Taehyun nods. He and Yeonjun walk toward Ah-In’s car, arriving a few seconds later. Yeonjun opens the passenger’s side door, smiling at Ah-In. 

“Hi, noona,” he greets. “Is it alright if I bring my friend?”

“Sure,” Ah-In says. “The more the merrier.”

Yeonjun and Taehyun smile. They get inside Ah-In’s car, and she shifts the gear to drive to start driving toward the mall.

“Y-you’re Soobin’s sister?” Taehyun asks after buckling himself in.

“Yeah,” Ah-In replies, smiling at Taehyun through the rearview mirror. “I’m Ah-In.”

“H-hi,” he greets. “I’m Taehyun.”

“Nice to meet you, Taehyun,” Ah-In says. “You’re a friend of Soobin?”

Taehyun nods. “Yeah.”

“Well, every friend of Soobin’s is my friend, too,” Ah-In says. “Where do you guys want to go first?”

“The mall’s fine, noona,” Yeonjun says. “Oh, by the way, Tae has a few questions he wants to ask you.”

Ah-In perks up at that. “Really?”

Taehyun nods shyly. “U-um, yeah.” He clears his throat to try to get rid of his shyness. “I-I’m going on a date tomorrow with…Beomgyu-hyung.”

Ah-In’s eyebrows raise. “Beomgyu? Wow. You’re a lucky guy, Tae. Beomgyu’s  _ hot.” _

“Noona!”

Ah-In chuckles. “What? I’m just saying the truth. What questions do you have, Tae?”

“W-well, I’m just nervous about our date,” he says. “I’m just curious about what to wear, smell, do, and where I should take him.”

“Where do you want to take him?” Ah-In asks.

“W-well, we both love this diner that’s twenty minutes from my house,” Taehyun replies. “But I’ve heard from a lot of people that it’s a boring place to go to.”

Ah-In scoffs. “Ignore those people, Tae. They don’t know what they’re talking about. Besides, it’s  _ your  _ date, not theirs. Take Beomgyu to that diner, Taehyun. I’m sure he’ll love to go there. And don’t worry, we’ll buy you clothes for your date tomorrow.”

Taehyun smiles. “Thanks, noona.”

* * *

Six hours later, Ah-In, Yeonjun, and Taehyun are finally leaving the mall. It’s about to close, anyway. Their hands are  _ filled  _ with bags, and since Yeonjun and Taehyun didn’t have that much money with them, Ah-In bought most of their stuff. They ate lunch and dinner at the mall as well, shopped for a few more hours, before deciding to leave.

“This was fun, noona,” Yeonjun giggles as they walk back to Ah-In’s car. 

“It was,” Taehyun agrees. “Thanks for taking us out, noona.”

“Of course,” Ah-In says, unlocking her car. “Tae, as I told you before, if you want me to come to your house tomorrow to help you get ready, I can.”

“Thanks, noona, but I’m sure I’ll be fine with just Yeonjun-hyung,” Taehyun says with a smile.

“Don’t you have work tomorrow, noona?” Yeonjun asks as they get inside her car.

“Oh, right, I do,” Ah-In mutters. “That’s boring.”

Yeonjun and Taehyun giggle at her remark. Ah-In soon starts the car, and shifts the gear to drive to get out of the mall’s grounds. She drives them to her house as they make light conversation with each other. They arrive at Ah-In’s house twenty minutes later, and she parks in the garage, turning off her car. The three grab their bags, and get out of the vehicle. Ah-In locks it behind them as they walk toward the door, stepping inside the Chois’ beautiful mansion.

“Wow,” Taehyun gapes. He’s never been to Soobin’s house before, hence why he’s speechless at how beautiful it looks. Just like Yeonjun was a few days ago.

“Nice, right?” he agrees.

“Everyone, we’re back!” Ah-In calls out.

At first, the three think no one is home. But then Soobin’s brother comes walking down the stairs, dressed nicely as if he’s going somewhere.

“Oh, it’s just you,” he frowns.

Ah-In rolls her eyes. “Where’s mom, dad, and Soobin?”

“Mom and dad went to the company, and Soobin’s with Beomgyu, I think,” their brother mutters, which makes Yeonjun's heart sink, oddly enough He shrugs. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Where are you going?” Ah-In demands.

“To a party. Later.”

Ah-In shakes her head. Her brother eventually leaves the house, closing the door behind him. She turns to Yeonjun and Taehyun. “I’m sorry about him. He can be such a bastard sometimes.”

“It’s fine, noona,” Yeonjun assures. “Trust me, I know how boys are.”

Ah-In giggles. “Well, make yourselves at home. I’ll be back to change out of these clothes.”

Yeonjun and Taehyun nod. Ah-In smiles at them, before she heads for the stairs. She starts climbing them up, and once she’s out of eyesight and earshot, Taehyun leans in closer toward Yeonjun.

“Hyung, it might just be me, but…doesn’t noona seem a bit off to you?” Taehyun asks quietly.

Yeonjun raises an eyebrow at Taehyun. “What do you mean, Tae?”

The blonde shrugs, a small frown on his face. “I don’t know… Something just feels off with noona.”

“Like what?” Yeonjun questions.

“Like…she doesn’t like us or something,” Taehyun says. “I-I don’t know how to explain it, but she gives off a bad vibe.”

Yeonjun shrugs. “She doesn’t to me.”

“You should be careful, just in case, hyung,” Taehyun says pointedly.

Yeonjun rolls his eyes. “You’re crazy, Tae. There’s nothing wrong with noona.”

“Maybe that’s what she wants you to think.”


	8. Family Dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: f slur and slut-shaming

“What do you mean-”

Yeonjun stops himself once he hears footsteps approaching them. He and Taehyun look up, seeing Ah-In now dressed in sweats, her dyed blonde hair flowing down until her lower back. Her face is makeup-free, and she looks less stressed to Yeonjun and Taehyun.

“Sorry if I took a bit long,” she says.

“Y-you didn’t, noona,” Taehyun assures with a smile. Yeonjun can tell it’s fake, though. 

Ah-In nods. “Well, Tae, why don’t we try on the clothes we bought, and see which one fits better?”

Taehyun opens his mouth to probably deny, but he’s saved by his phone ringing. He takes it out, seeing that his mom is calling him. He sighs in relief, knowing she’s calling him to tell him she’s outside. He mutes the call, and looks back at Ah-In and Yeonjun.

“I’m sorry, noona, but my mom’s here to pick me up,” Taehyun says apologetically. He grips his bags tighter, smiling and bowing to Ah-In. “Thank you for today.”

“Ah, no problem, Tae,” she says, bowing back. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Taehyun returns. “Bye, hyung.”

“Bye, Tae,” Yeonjun says. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Taehyun nods, before finally leaving Soobin’s house. That leaves Ah-In and Yeonjun alone. Now that they are alone, though, Yeonjun realizes Taehyun has a point about Ah-In. She didn’t leave Yeonjun and Taehyun alone for more than five minutes before returning. Usually, normal people take around at least two minutes to change. Ah-In was also wearing a dress with multiple zippers, and a long one was running down her back. That should’ve at least taken a minute to take off, especially since it looked tight on her. She changed into sweats, and Yeonjun can see the drawstrings of the sweatpants neatly tied. They should at least be messily tied if Ah-In was in a rush.

But the drawstrings aren’t tied messily. Finally, Yeonjun looks up at Ah-In, a bit startled that the female was already looking at him. Once the two lock eyes, Ah-In smiles, but to Yeonjun it looks creepy. He tries to get rid of the thoughts, thinking he’s just tired.

“Is your mom coming to pick you up, Jun?” Ah-In asks, finally breaking the silence between them.

Yeonjun tenses up at the mention of his mom. Ah-In seems to notice that he tensed up, but doesn’t do anything about it. Instead, she leans against the back of the couch, hands in her pockets, as she raises an eyebrow at Yeonjun, waiting for him to reply.

“U-uh, no,” he finally does. Yeonjun clears his throat. “I-I was hoping Soobin would drop me off.”

“If you want, I can,” Ah-In offers.

“Um…” Yeonjun glances at the clock; 9:55 PM. Rosé had arrived at school before second period started, and Yeonjun told her where he was going to be. She assured him she’s fine if he goes, and to be home by midnight. Yeonjun thought he’d want to stay until at least eleven, since Ah-In seems so fun to be around, but the only thing he wants right now is to leave. “S-sure, noona. Are you sure you can?”

“Of course,” Ah-In says. “Do you want to go now or stay longer?”

“I want to go now,” Yeonjun replies. “I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow, and I want to get as much sleep as I can get.”

Ah-In nods. “Let’s go, then.”

Yeonjun nods this time. He makes sure he has all his bags, before walking behind Ah-In to her car. They arrive and get in. Ah-In turns her car on as she buckles herself in, Yeonjun doing the same. She shifts the gear to reverse to back up from the garage and driveway, before shifting it again to drive. Yeonjun just looks at the road in front of him, not feeling like saying anything. Ah-In seems to feel the same, since she doesn’t say anything, either. The only noise between them was the sound of the car moving, the car’s pointer clicking when Ah-In had to make a turn, and the soft music playing on the radio.

Finally, minutes later, they arrive in Yeonjun’s block. Yeonjun sighs in relief to himself, and they soon arrive outside his house. 

“We’re here,” Ah-In announces, parking outside the building.

“Thanks for the ride and today, noona,” Yeonjun says, unbuckling himself. “I had fun.”

“Me, too, Jun,” Ah-In says. “We should hang out more. We should bring Taehyun, too.”

“Just call us, and we’ll be there,” Yeonjun says. “Thanks again, noona. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Yeonjun smiles at Ah-In, before getting out of her car. He seems to have forgotten about the weird vibes coming from her, since he doesn’t feel that gut feeling anymore. He walks toward his front door, and gets out his keys. Even if Rosé is home, she always locks the door in case of burglars. Yeonjun unlocks the front door, pushing it open. He steps inside the house, closing it behind him.

“Noona!?” he calls out as he takes his shoes off by the door.

Rosé appears from the kitchen, mittens on her hands. She smiles at Yeonjun, and runs toward him, engulfing him in a hug. Yeonjun giggles, hugging Rosé just as tight. They haven’t seen each other in more than five hours, especially since Rosé had meetings at school until five, and Yeonjun went out with Ah-In and Taehyun. They finally pull away after a while, and Rosé beams at Yeonjun.

“Ah, I missed you, my dear, sweet cousin,” she says. 

Yeonjun chuckles. “I missed you, too, noona. How did your date go?”

“Amazing,” Rosé replies as she leads Yeonjun to the kitchen. “I’ll tell you all the deets, but first, are you hungry? I’m making  samgyeopsal and hotteok for dessert.”

At the mention of what they’re eating, Yeonjun’s stomach grumbles. “Wow, that sounds amazing, noona.”

“I know,” Rosé says cheekily. “I’m the one making it.”

Yeonjun chuckles. He places his bags in the living room on the couch, before heading back to the couch to help Rosé. He washes his hands first, and starts cutting the pork strips. The two work in silence, and when the food is done, they serve it into plates, getting out the utensils, cups, and extra food to eat the pork strips with. They sit down on the kitchen island instead of the dining table, facing each other.

“First off, how did your day go with Soobin’s sister?” Rosé asks.

“It went well,” Yeonjun replies. “We went to the mall, and she bought us most of our stuff. Noona, Soobin’s family is rich, rich. They’re  _ loaded _ . No wonder Soobin has his own car.”

Rosé lets out a small chuckle. “Was it just you and Soobin’s sister?”

Yeonjun shakes his head. “No. Taehyun came with us.”

“Taehyun?”

“He’s our new friend,” Yeonjun explains. “Speaking of which, noona, is it okay if I go to his house tomorrow? I’m going to help him get ready-” Yeonjun stops himself before he can say he’s going to help Taehyun get ready for his date. If he says that, Rosé will obviously accept, but she’ll expect him to be back an hour after he’s gone. If he’s gone later than that, she’ll start asking questions, and Yeonjun still needs to go to his ‘family dinner’ with his mother, father, and stepmother at seven without Rosé knowing.

“What are you going to help him get ready for?” she questions, since Yeonjun stopped mid-sentence.

“Uh, get him ready for our…English test,” he lies. “I’ll probably stay there until nine.”

Rosé’s eyes slightly widen. “Why until nine?”

“I’m planning on leaving at four,” Yeonjun says. “I’ll just stay over there for five hours, noona.”

Rosé sighs. “Fine.”

Yeonjun beams. “Thanks, noona.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Rosé mutters. “What about Soobin? You haven’t mentioned his name besides talking about his sister.”

“Well, we didn’t talk at all today except in the morning,” Yeonjun says with a small frown. “I asked him something, and I think I made him uncomfortable. I think he tried to avoid me for the rest of the day, and I feel bad. I’ve tried calling him, but he won’t answer. He won’t answer any of my texts, either.”

“Well, maybe on Monday you can work things out with him,” Rosé suggests. “He’ll come around, Jun.”

“Hopefully,” he mumbles under his breath. “Anyway, how did your date go, noona? And you better tell me all the deets.”

* * *

The next day, which is Saturday, Yeonjun wakes up at nine-twenty a.m., even though he usually gets up around noon on weekends. Maybe he woke up earlier this time because he’s excited to go to Taehyun’s house for the first time. Or maybe because he’s finally going to be able to spend time with his mother after not seeing her for a year.

Up until three p.m., Yeonjun goes through the rest of his day normally. He eats breakfast, talks with Rosé, helps her around the house, works on the homework he has, and tries to text Soobin, but the younger still doesn’t reply.

Finally, once the clock strikes three, Yeonjun starts getting ready. He takes a shower, making sure he cleans himself thoroughly, before getting out. He does his skin routine, before getting out of his bathroom to walk toward his closet. He skims through his choices, before he picks an outfit. He changes into it, which is a dark blue long-sleeve shirt. On the left sleeve, the shoulder part is cut open, which reveals his shoulder. The collar of the shirt is deep enough to show his collarbones and milky skin. He tucks the shirt into black ripped jeans, before deciding to do his hair and makeup.

For his hair, Yeonjun parts it in the middle, showing his forehead. For his makeup, he applies brown eyeshadow to make his eyes pop, and a layer of pink lipgloss on his lips to make them shine. He decides he looks good enough, before putting on a pair of black high top Converse. He sprays a bit of vanilla perfume on himself as he looks himself over in his body length mirror, before walking out of his room, deciding he looks good.

Once he arrives downstairs, Yeonjun notices Rosé talking on the phone. There’s a smile on her face, so she’s probably talking with Kim Jisoo. Yeonjun shakes his head at Rosé, grabbing his things. He checks the clock; three-thirty. It wouldn’t hurt to arrive early, right?

“Noona, I’m going to leave now,” he calls out, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “I’ll be back around nine.”

Rosé glances at Yeonjun. She tells Jisoo to hold on, before covering the phone’s speaker, turning toward Yeonjun. “Do you want me to drop you off?”

“No, I’m fine,” he replies. “Tae’s house is just ten minutes walking.”

Rosé nods, and she and Yeonjun peck each other’s cheeks. “Be safe out there, Jun. Call me if you need anything.”

Yeonjun nods this time. He waves bye at Rosé, before walking toward the front door. He opens it, stepping outside of the house. He closes the front door behind him, before starting to walk toward Taehyun’s house. Taehyun had sent him his address last night, so Yeonjun knows where to go. As said, he arrives at Taehyun’s house ten minutes later, slightly gaping at the house in front of him. It’s bigger than his house, which means Taehyun might be rich as well. Yeonjun walks toward the front door, and rings the doorbell.

A few seconds later, Taehyun opens the door, nervousness written across his face. “Oh, hyung, am I glad you’re here.”

“Hi, Tae,” Yeonjun greets. “Can I come in?”

Taehyun nods, opening the door wider for Yeonjun. The blue-haired male thanks Taehyun, toeing his shoes off by the door. Taehyun grabs Yeonjun’s hand, surprising him, and leads him upstairs toward his room. Yeonjun was right—Taehyun _ is _ rich. They arrive in Taehyun’s room, Yeonjun gaping at how fancy and beautiful everything looks.

“Wow, Tae, you have a nice house,” he says as Taehyun closes the door behind them.

“Th-thanks, hyung,” he says, obviously nervous. “S-so, are we ready to start?”

Yeonjun nods. “You’ll do fine, Tae. By the time we’re done, you’ll end up looking like a real-life doll, and Beom will just end up falling for you more.”

Taehyun nods this time, his cheeks growing a light shade of red. He and Yeonjun get started. Yeonjun walks toward Taehyun’s closet, skimming through his clothes until he finds three good enough outfits. Yeonjun places them down on Taehyun’s bed, before going through Taehyun’s shoes to find which one he likes the most. 

It takes  _ a lot  _ of time, but Yeonjun and Taehyun finally finish. Taehyun is all dolled up for his and Beomgyu’s date, dressed in a white turtleneck crop top, a white and black plaid unbuttoned button-up on top, but the hem is tied. For his pants, Taehyun wears purple denim jeans, and white high top Converse on his feet. For his makeup, he wears brown eyeshadow to make them pop, and pink lipgloss to make his lips shine, just like Yeonjun did. For his hair, Yeonjun helped Taehyun curl it, but ruffled it to make it look messy.

“See, I told you I’d doll you up,” Yeonjun says proudly, placing the curler down on Taehyun’s desk.

Taehyun smiles. “D-do you think Beomgyu-hyung will like it?”

“He’ll  _ love  _ it, Tae,” Yeonjun assures. He looks at the clock; 6:45 PM. His eyes widen, and he looks back at Taehyun. “I think you should leave now. There are only fifteen more minutes until seven.”

Taehyun’s eyes widen. “Shit, really?”

Yeonjun nods. Taehyun then quickly gets up, and Yeonjun helps him gather their stuff. Once they finish, they walk downstairs. Yeonjun fixes Taehyun’s hair and clothes, giving him a once over. Yeonjun nods, knowing Taehyun is ready.

“You’re ready, Tae,” Yeonjun says. “Good luck. Treat my boy right. He better treat you right, too. If he doesn’t, tell me, so I can whoop his ass.”

Taehyun giggles. “I-I will, hyung.” Then, surprising Yeonjun, Taehyun engulfs him in a hug. Yeonjun smiles, and hugs Taehyun back. But only for a short time, since Taehyun has to leave. “Thanks, hyung. I’ll see you later.”

Yeonjun nods. “Good luck.”

Taehyun thanks him, before walking out of his house. He has his own car, much to Yeonjun’s surprise. Yeonjun makes sure Taehyun arrives at his car safely, and drives away, before he closes the door. Now that he’s alone, Yeonjun realizes Taehyun’s parents aren’t home. Yeonjun shakes his head, thinking they’re probably at work. Yeonjun gathers his stuff, before walking out of Taehyun’s house, making sure he locks and closes the door behind him. He jogs quickly toward the nearest subway, buys a ticket, and gets the quickest train to Bundang-gu.

Once the train arrives, Yeonjun gets on it. He sits down, making sure he has everything, before closing his bag. He leans back against the chair he’s sitting on, trying to take deep breaths. He tries not to think about the fact that he’s going to see his mother after a year, since he knows that’ll only make him panic. 

Twenty-seven minutes later, the train stops. As Yeonjun checks the time, he realizes he’s twelve minutes late. The dinner started at seven, and it’s seven-twelve right now. He curses under his breath, jogging outside the station. He waves at the nearest taxi, getting in. He tells the driver his father’s address, and the taxi nods, starting to drive him there.

Around ten minutes later, they arrive. Yeonjun quickly thanks the driver, handing him the total amount of change he owes. Yeonjun gets out of the taxi, and jogs toward the front door. He hopes he’s at the right address, or else this would just be a waste of time. He hesitantly rings the doorbell, waiting for someone to answer.

Fortunately, Yeonjun’s father opens the door, smiling at Yeonjun. “Son! I’m so glad you could make it!”

“H-hi, father,” he greets.

“Come in,” his father allows, widening the door.

Yeonjun mutters a thank you, stepping inside the house. Whilst his parents do live together, his father spends most of his time at Ae-Ri’s house, even though those two are the married ones now. Yeonjun’s father closes the door behind Yeonjun, and leads him toward the dining room, where his ex-wife and new wife are waiting.

“We’re back,” his father announces.

“H-hi, mom,” Yeonjun says, his eyes landing on her first. She’s dressing nicely in a white blouse, jeans, and heels. 

Instead of replying, his mother rolls her eyes at Yeonjun, before going back to her food.

“S-sorry for being late,” he apologizes, sitting down next to his mother. “I-I was with a friend.”

His mother mutters something under her breath, and Yeonjun hears the word ‘slut.’ But he shakes it off, thinking it’s just his imagination. He smiles at Ae-Ri, probably for the first time in his life.

“H-hi, Ae-Ri,” he says.

“Hi, Yeonjun,” she returns. “And don’t worry about being late. The food’s barely cooling down.”

Yeonjun nods. His father soon comes back with the plates, and places them down. Yeonjun surprisingly thanks him as his plate is placed in front of him. He’s probably in a good mood because he’s next to his mom. Soon, everyone is seated at the table, Yeonjun’s father and Ae-Ri sitting in front of Yeonjun and his mom.

“Everyone ready to eat?” his father asks.

Yeonjun and Ae-Ri nod; his mother just starts eating. Everyone does the same, and eat in silence at first. That is until Yeonjun’s father speaks up again: “So, Yeonjun, which friend were you with?”

“This new friend Beomgyu, Hueningkai, and I made,” he says. “His name’s Kang Taehyun.”

“Are you sure he’s ‘just a friend’?” Yeonjun’s mother mutters.

“Yeah,” Yeonjun says, looking at his mom weirdly. “He’s going on a date with Beomgyu tonight.”

His mother mumbles something under her breath again, but Yeonjun doesn’t hear it this time. He doesn’t care this time, either. His mom’s being a bitch, which means she’s probably high on her ‘drugs’ again.

“Well, that’s good for him,” Ae-Ri says. “What grade is he in, Yeonjun?”

“Um, I think junior,” he replies. “He’s a year younger than me.”

“Were you late because you were helping him get ready for his date?” Yeonjun’s father asks.

Yeonjun nods. “Yeah. Sorry again for being late.”

“Yeonjun, it’s fine,” Ae-Ri repeats. “Everyone’s late.”

Yeonjun smiles. He, his father, and Ae-ri continue talking, whilst Yeonjun’s mother just sits there eating. She listens to everything, but doesn’t say anything. Yeonjun wishes she would, since he wants to know what she’s been up to this past year. But maybe she isn’t comfortable talking, so Yeonjun doesn’t push her. 

Eventually, everyone, including Yeonjun’s mom, finishes eating. Ae-Ri picks up everyone’s plate, and Yeonjun helps her. They place the dishes in the sink, and Yeonjun helps Ae-Ri serve the dessert. They walk back to the dining room, seeing Yeonjun’s parents talking to each other. They both look angry, and Yeonjun and Ae-Ri raise an eyebrow at them.

“Is everything okay?” she questions.

Yeonjun’s father immediately stops talking once he hears Ae-Ri and Yeonjun stepping inside the room. “Y-yeah. E-everything’s fine, dear.”

“If you say so,” she mutters. Ae-Ri and Yeonjun place the plates down in front of Yeonjun’s parents, before placing them in front of their seats. They sit down again, and start eating their dessert.

“So, Yeonjun, you’re into boys, right?” his father says. 

“I-I am,” Yeonjun replies, a bit nervously. “W-why? Do you guys have a problem with it?”

“No,” Ae-Ri assures. “There’s nothing wrong with being gay.”

“Ae-Ri’s right, Yeonjun.” For the first time to the bluenette, his mother speaks up. She smiles at him with a sweet fake smile. “There’s nothing wrong liking the same sex. Especially if you’re gay. Say, that means you like taking dick up your ass, right? You like  _ moaning _ other guys’ names, right? You like them filling you up, don’t you? You  _ fag.”  _ She spits the word out as if it’s poison.

Yeonjun’s father immediately stands up from his seat, glaring at his ex-wife. “Jeon Chun-Ae!”

“What?” she snaps. “I’m right, aren’t I? That’s what Yeonjun practically is—a fag. Whore for cock. I bet that’s what you were doing for real at your ‘friend’s’ house. You fucking slut.”

Yeonjun’s face has tears rolling down them, but he wipes them away, not wanting to seem weak to his mother. He glares at her. “Y-you’re wrong, mother. J-just because I’m into boys doesn’t mean I’m into all of those things. Y-you’re into boys, and I’m not calling you a slut. Y-you have no right calling me a slut and a fag. I-I’m your  _ son _ , for god’s sake.”

“It means  _ jack  _ to me that you’re my son,” his mother spits. “You know, when I found out I was pregnant with you, I wanted to abort you. I didn’t want a  _ burden  _ in my life. But your stupid father forced me to have you, so I did. You know what that did? That ruined my perfect body, and I have stretch marks all over. Just because of someone as worthless as  _ you _ . You slutty fucking fag.”

Yeonjun feels his heart drop, and this time, he does nothing to stop his tears. All these hurtful words are coming from the person he loves the most: his mother. He hears yelling and the sound of chairs scraping against the floor (and maybe a slap as well), but he drowns all those noises out. He covers his ears with his hands, feeling as if he’s suffocating in his own body.

Yeonjun abruptly stands up, starting to sob. He runs outside, and doesn’t even bother to grab his stuff. He runs as far as his feet can take him, which is a park twenty minutes away from his father’s house. He collapses on a bench, curling himself into a ball. He sobs heavily, hugging his knees tightly to his chest. He sniffles, feeling his heart badly ache. 

Fortunately, Yeonjun always keeps his phone on him, so his hands shakily reach toward his pocket. He takes out his phone with shaky hands, and calls the first person that comes to mind.

Soobin.

_ Please answer. _

By some miracle, the line picks up.

“Hello?”

“S-Soobin,” Yeonjun says. But his voice is so hoarse by how hard and loud he’s been crying, he turns out to be too quiet for Soobin to hear him.

“Hello?”

“S-Soobin,” Yeonjun says louder, his voice cracking.

There’s a pause at the other end. “H-hyung?”

“S-Soobin,” Yeonjun repeats, letting out a sob.

Obviously, Soobin hears the sob. “Hyung? Are you okay?”

Yeonjun shakes his head, even though Soobin can’t see him. “P-please. I need you.”

“Hyung, where are you?”

Yeonjun sniffles, his eyes scanning the park to see if he can find a sign where it says the park’s name. He soon does, and returns to the phone call.

“I-I’m at Bundang Central Park.”

“Bundang? Why are you there, hyung?”

Yeonjun holds back a sob. “J-just come quick, please.”

“I’ll be there soon, hyung. Wait for me.”


	9. Find Me

In Soobin’s defense, it’s not like he’s trying to ignore Yeonjun on purpose. It just so happens that when Soobin notices Yeonjun, he turns to walk in the other direction, so they don’t come face to face. Soobin knows he shouldn’t be avoiding Yeonjun, especially since the older did nothing to him—he just asked an innocent question. Soobin has no reason to avoid Yeonjun. The blue-haired male doesn’t know how much pain Soobin feels at the mention of love, relationships, dating, etc., because last time Soobin was in love, in a relationship, and was dating someone, it ended horribly. 

Yeonjun doesn’t know, and he’s asked what happened, but Soobin prefers to avoid explaining than telling poor innocent Choi Yeonjun what happened three years ago.

Maybe if Soobin wasn’t a wimp, he’d be able to tell Yeonjun.

Soobin sighs, running his fingers through his raven hair. He walks down the hallway to the office. He knows Yeonjun has already left, since he saw his sister’s car outside, as well as Yeonjun  _ and  _ Taehyun getting inside Ah-In’s car. At least he doesn’t have to see Yeonjun anymore.

Soobin promised himself he’d return all of Yeonjun’s texts and calls today, though.

(maybe.)

Soobin walks inside the office, seeing the student council’s treasurer, Park Jihyo, talking with another member of the student council, Mark Tuan. Soobin smiles, and he walks toward Jihyo and Mark, stopping in front of them.

“Hi, hyung and noona,” Soobin greets.

Jihyo and Mark stop talking, smiling up at Soobin.

Jihyo bows to the youngest. “Mr. President.”

Soobin chuckles. “Noona, you know you don’t have to do that  _ every  _ time you see me, right?”

“I know, but I like it,” Jihyo says. “What are you doing here, Soobin?”

“I need to talk with Mr. Choi,” he explains. “What are  _ you  _ two doing here?”

“We were just picking up some papers,” Mark says. “Sorry, not papers. Flyers for the football game.”

Soobin nods. “I’ll help you guys after I’m done talking with Mr. Choi.”

Jihyo and Mark nod. They say bye to Soobin, before walking out of the office. Soobin sighs, and walks toward the principal’s office. Soobin’s a bit nervous to talk with the principal, especially since he’s the top dog in the school, and…Yeonjun’s father. Practically everyone knows Yeonjun for being the principal’s son. 

Soobin hesitates, before he knocks on the door, waiting for a reply.

He gets one a few seconds later. “Come in.”

Soobin opens the door, smiling at Mr. Choi. Soobin slightly closes the door behind them, before heading toward Mr. Choi’s desk. Soobin bows at him, before standing up straight.

“Hi, Mr. Choi,” Soobin says.

Mr. Choi looks up from his computer, seeming to recognize Soobin. Mr. Choi smiles at him. “Hello. Soobin, right?”

“Um, yeah,” he replies. “How’d you know?”

“I see you hanging out with Yeonjun at times,” Mr. Choi says. “What may I do for you, Soobin?”

“We need to talk about the upcoming winter dance,” he reminds. “It’s in two weeks, and the student council still has a few questions to ask.”

Mr. Choi nods, and he motions to one of the chairs in front of his desk, sitting down on the chair behind it. “Okay. Let’s start, then.”

Soobin and Mr. Choi then spend the next twenty minutes or so talking about the upcoming winter dance. It’s currently December first, and the winter dance is in two weeks. Even though it is, the student council is still starting to work on it early, since it takes a lot of time planning a high school dance. Speaking of December, Soobin’s birthday is just four days away.

“I hope it’s clear that you guys can use whatever decoration you guys like,” Mr. Choi says. “Just let the paying come through me.”

Soobin nods. “Thank you, Mr. Choi.”

The older nods this time, and he and Soobin get up. They bow and say goodbye to each other. Soobin turns to walk out of Mr. Choi’s office, but Mr. Choi stops him.

“Wait, Soobin.”

The ravenette turns around. “Yes, Mr. Choi?”

“Tell Yeonjun that…I might not be the best father, but I’m trying my best,” he says. “I-if he thinks I’m trying too hard, or I’m too annoying, please do tell him I’m deeply sorry.”

Soobin nods, but a thought comes to his head. “No disrespect, Mr. Choi, but why don’t you tell him yourself? It’d mean more from you than it would from me.”

“I-I don’t know,” Mr. Choi mutters. “W-we’re having a family dinner tonight, but…I’m just too scared to tell him.”

“You can do it, Mr. Choi,” Soobin assures. “He’s your son. Maybe he won’t think so bad of you if you do it.”

Mr. Choi nods slowly, giving Soobin’s words some thought. “A-alright. Thank you, Soobin.”

The younger nods. “Good luck.”

Mr. Choi thanks him with a smile, and Soobin finally leaves the principal’s office. He walks out of the whole office, and searches the hallway for Jihyo and Mark. Soobin doesn't see either of them, so he takes out his phone to dial Beomgyu’s number to ask where he is. But before he can, he hears someone behind him calling him out.

“Soobin-hyung!”

The ravenette turns around, smiling as he sees Hueningkai. Soobin puts his phone away, figuring the younger man knows where Beomgyu is.

“Hi, Hyuka,” Soobin greets. “Where’s Beom?”

“He’s in the parking lot,” Kai informs. “He’s been pacing, and it’s driving me crazy. We ready to go?” Soobin nods, and he follows behind Hueningkai to the parking lot. They soon arrive, and head toward Beomgyu’s car. Soobin and Kai see Beomgyu still pacing, muttering things under his breath nervously. “Hyung, we’re back.”

Beomgyu looks up, relieved to see Soobin and Hueningkai. “Oh, thank god. I-I’m really nervous, guys.”

Soobin chuckles. “We can tell, Beom. Don’t worry. You’ll do fine.”

“A-are you sure?”

“We’re positive, hyung,” Kai assures. “Now let’s go to your house to get you ready.”

* * *

Unlike Yeonjun and Taehyun, Soobin, Beomgyu, and Hueningkai only took around two hours to get Beomgyu ready. They left their school at three-thirty, and finished at 5:34. The three are standing in Beomgyu’s room, Soobin and Kai looking over Beomgyu, who’s dressed in a simple white t-shirt, a blue bomber jacket on top, and black jeans. His raven hair is straightened—surprisingly, Hueningkai knows how to straighten hair—and there’s a black bandana in there as well. There’s a bit of eyeshadow on his eyes, and lip balm on his lips. 

Soobin and Kai think Beomgyu is ready for his date.

Beomgyu thinks so otherwise.

“D-do you think he’ll really like me in this?” he asks nervously.

“Beom,  _ Kang Taehyun  _ asked  _ you  _ out,” Soobin reminds. “He  _ likes  _ you, for god’s sake. He’ll like you in anything.”

“He’ll also like you with nothing on,” Hueningkai adds.

“Hueningkai!”

Soobin laughs. “Ignore Hyuka, Beom. You look fine, and Tae will think so, too. Hell, he’s probably nervous if he looks good, too.”

“That reminds me, isn’t Yeonjun-hyung with him?” Kai asks.

Beomgyu nods. “Y-yeah. Yeonjun-hyung’s helping Tae get ready.”

“Now that I think about it, hyung, I didn’t see you talking with Yeonjun-hyung at all today,” Hueningkai muses, looking at Soobin. “Why? You two are basically stuck to the hip every day.”

“I-I was too busy to talk with him,” he lies. 

“You’re never too busy for Choi Yeonjun.”

“Well, today I was,” Soobin says. “I’m sure he understands.”

Beomgyu and Kai look at each other, knowing neither of them believes a word Soobin is saying. It’s not like they can do anything about it, though, so Hueningkai changes the subject.

* * *

Finally, an hour and twenty-six minutes later, Soobin, Beomgyu, and Kai are in Beomgyu’s living room, waiting for Taehyun to arrive. The clock had struck seven p.m. a few seconds ago, but that just makes Beomgyu more nervous than he already is.

“W-what if he changed his mind?” he rants. “W-what if he doesn’t like me at all? W-what if he just wanted to play with my feelings? W-what if he got run over by a truck? W-what if he thinks he’s too beautiful to date someone like me? N-not that I would blame him. W-what-”

“Choi Beomgyu, calm down,” Soobin laughs. “Tae’s going to be here soon. It’s still seven, for god’s sake.”

As if on cue, they hear a honk outside.

Beomgyu almost collapses from the relief he feels. “Oh, thank god.”

“Good, now your date’s going to start,” Hueningkai reminds. “Good luck, hyung.”

Beomgyu nods, grabbing his stuff. “Thanks again, guys. I’ll see you guys later.”

Soobin and Kai nod, waving bye at Beomgyu. The raven-haired male walks out of his house, closing the front door behind him. By the window, Soobin and Hueningkai can see Beomgyu smiling at Taehyun, getting inside his car. The two exchange a few words, probably complimenting each other, before Taehyun backs up from Beomgyu’s driveway, and starts driving them toward the diner they both love so much.

“Oh, I’m so happy for them,” Kai says, sighing contently. 

“Me, too,” Soobin agrees. “Hopefully, they become a couple tonight, because if not, it’ll just be torture after.”

Hueningkai nods in agreement. “Are you going to do anything today, hyung?”

“No,” Soobin replies. “You?”

Kai shakes his head. “Both my sisters are out, so is my dad, and my mom is busy working, so I can’t stay at hers.”

“Wanna come to my house, then?” Soobin asks. “We can play video games.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

* * *

“Oh, you little fucking shit!” 

Soobin throws his game controller at the screen—if it breaks, he can always buy more. He’s rich for a reason—glaring at the TV screen. Beside him, Hueningkai chuckles.

“Hyung, you gotta calm down,” he says. “It’s just a game.”

“I know, but they keep killing me!” Soobin complains. “And  _ someone  _ keeps beating me.”

Kai smirks. “Not my fault I’m better than you.”

“Whatever,” Soobin grumbles, getting up to get his controller.

It’s now two hours later, and Soobin nor Hueningkai have gotten a text from Beomgyu, which means the ravenette is probably still on his date with Taehyun. Kai hasn’t gotten a text from Yeonjun, either, which means he’s probably still at his ‘family dinner.’ If Soobin did get a text from Yeonjun, he wouldn’t know, since he has his phone on mute.

“Wanna play another game?” Hueningkai suggests.

“Fine,” Soobin sighs.

“Watch me beat you again,” Kai giggles.

“Shut up.”

Hueningkai snickers. Soobin restarts the game, so it can go back to the menu. He and Kai start choosing their avatars, and Soobin is about to start the game, but before he can, they hear Hueningkai’s phone ringing.

“Ugh, who’s calling me?” he grumbles, grabbing his phone. Checking the caller ID, Kai can see that it’s his dad who’s calling him. With a sigh, he answers the call. “Hello?” He and his father talk for the next two minutes, before Hueningkai hangs up with a small frown. “That’s boring.”

“Let me guess—you have to go home,” Soobin says.

“Yeah,” Kai frowns. “I want to stay longer, hyung.”

“I want you to stay, too,” Soobin says. “Why do you even have to leave?”

“Something about my baby sister,” Hueningkai mutters, getting up from Soobin’s bed. “I’ll see you tomorrow or something, hyung.”

Soobin nods. “Bye, Hyuka.”

The two hug each other, before the younger waves bye at Soobin, and leaves the older’s house. Once he hears the front door close behind Kai, Soobin collapses on his bed. He’s now alone. The house is empty beside him, since his parents are at work, his sister is god’s know where, and his brother is with his buddies somewhere. But Soobin doesn’t mind, he prefers being alone. He turns off his TV to play games on his phone.

However, not even five minutes later, his phone starts ringing.

As if on autopilot, Soobin answers the call, not bothering to check the caller ID.

“Hello?”

Soobin hears cars and other city noises in the background, but he can’t hear the person’s voice.

“Hello?” 

“S-Soobin.”

The ravenette freezes, tensing up at the sound of  _ Yeonjun’s _ , the person whom he has been ignoring for the past few hours, voice. 

“H-hyung?”

Much to Soobin’s surprise, Yeonjun lets out a sob. “S-Soobin.”

“Hyung?” he says in concern, his eyebrows knitting together. “Are you okay?”

“P-please,” Yeonjun whimpers. “I need you.”

Without hesitating, Soobin quickly gets up from his bed, searching for his car keys. “Hyung, where are you?”

“I-I’m at Bundang Central Park,” Yeonjun replies after a few seconds.

“Bundang?” Soobin repeats in confusion. “Why are you there, hyung?”

Soobin’s heart drops when he hears Yeonjun hold back a sob. “J-just come quick, please.”

“I’ll be there soon, hyung,” Soobin assures, basically running out of his room after finding his keys and grabbing a hoodie. “Wait for me.”

Soobin doesn’t let Yeonjun say anything else, before he ends the call. He quickly runs downstairs, getting out of his house. He makes sure he closes and locks the door behind him, before running toward his car. He gets in, turning it on as he puts on his seatbelt. He shifts the gear to reverse as he opens the garage door, backing up from the garage and driveway. He closes the garage door, before shifting the gear to drive, and trying not to speed too fast that it’ll get him a speeding ticket.

Almost an hour later, much to his disappointment, Soobin arrives in Bundang Central Park. He can hear the water moving steadily in the river, but all he cares about right now is finding Yeonjun. Soobin searches through the park to find the older, hoping he’s still here. Fortunately, Soobin sees a figure hugging themselves into a ball on a bench, slightly shivering. Soobin frowns, running toward it, hoping it’s Yeonjun.

“H-hyung,” Soobin calls out, in case it isn’t the blue-haired male.

The figure’s head looks up, and they lock eyes with Soobin. The ravenette sighs in relief once he locks eyes with Yeonjun. But Soobin can see the tears rolling down the older’s pretty cheeks, his pretty eyes puffy and red, and his pouty pink lips quivering. It’s barely fifty degrees outside, hence why Yeonjun is shivering. Soobin curses himself, wishing he brought a blanket instead.

“Here, hyung, let’s help you up,” he says softly, grabbing Yeonjun’s hand.

Yeonjun lets himself be pulled up, clenching Soobin’s hand. Once he’s standing, Yeonjun’s legs start wobbling, and he would’ve fallen to the floor if it weren’t for Soobin. The younger figures Yeonjun is too worn out from his crying and the cold to walk by himself. Soobin helps Yeonjun put his hoodie on, and since he’s bigger than Yeonjun, his hoodie fits the older big, reaching until his mid-thigh, and giving him sweater paws. 

“S-Soobin,” he whispers, reaching toward him.

“Don’t worry, hyung, I got you,” he assures. Soobin hooks his arms underneath Yeonjun’s knees and back, picking him up bridal style. Yeonjun lets out a small whimper, curling against Soobin’s chest. Soobin carries Yeonjun toward his car, placing him in the passenger seat. Yeonjun shivers without Soobin’s body heat, and he’s quick to get in the driver’s seat.

Soobin cranks the heater all the way up, starting to drive them back toward his house. The two don’t say a word to each other—Yeonjun keeps shivering and letting out quiet whimpers, whilst Soobin lets him hold onto his hand to keep him calm. They arrive back at his house fifty minutes later, and Soobin parks his car in the garage, closing the door after.

Soobin gets out of the driver’s seat, jogging toward the passenger’s side. He opens the door, and picks up Yeonjun bridal style again. Yeonjun curls against Soobin’s chest, and Soobin locks his car. He walks toward the garage door with Yeonjun in his arms, opening it. No one is home yet, so Soobin carries Yeonjun up to his room. When they arrive, Soobin places Yeonjun down on his bed, covering him with his bedsheets, and two more blankets. 

Yeonjun snuggles underneath the blankets, dying from the cold earlier. 

“Do you want anything to drink or eat, hyung?” Soobin asks.

Yeonjun shakes his head. “I-I just want you here with me, Soobinie. P-please.”

Soobin nods, and he takes off his shoes. He climbs onto his bed next to Yeonjun, and pulls the older closer to him by his waist. Soobin wraps his arms around it, and Yeonjun snuggles into Soobin’s chest, breathing in his calming scent. Soobin keeps Yeonjun in his arms, radiating off his body heat to warm Yeonjun up. 

For the next almost twenty minutes, the two don’t say anything—they just stay in each other’s arms. Yeonjun’s sniffling and whimpering have come to a stop, much to Soobin’s relief. The two then just lay there, enjoying the sound of each other’s breathing. Whenever Yeonjun feels like Soobin is pulling away, he cuddles closer, even though Soobin doesn’t even move.

Finally, Yeonjun is the first one to pull away. He does it slowly to not startle Soobin. Once the younger feels him pulling away, he looks down at him.

“Hyung?”

Yeonjun lets out a small weak smile, the best he can muster. “U-um, hi.”

“Hi,” Soobin returns. “You feeling better, hyung?”

Yeonjun nods, pulling away from Soobin fully. “Y-yeah.”  _ Especially because of you. _

“What happened?” he asks. “And don’t tell me ‘nothing’ did, because we both know  _ something  _ happened.”

Yeonjun wants to scoff at Soobin’s words. Yeonjun  _ has  _ to tell Soobin what happened? Why can’t Soobin tell Yeonjun what happened three years ago in his last relationship? Yeonjun isn’t forcing him to talk about it, and even accepted the fact that Soobin ignored him all day. But here Choi Soobin is, ordering Yeonjun around as if he’s his goddamn father, which he is not. Soobin has no right telling Yeonjun to tell him what happened, especially if he won’t do the same.

Yet, Yeonjun wants to get it off his chest. He wants to tell somebody what happened—rant to them, express his feelings, and if he cries, at least he’ll have someone to lean against; someone who’ll be there to comfort him whilst he cries.

Yeonjun glares up at Soobin.

“I-I can hate you so much at times, Choi Soobin,” Yeonjun grumbles. Soobin rolls his eyes at Yeonjun, but reminds him to start explaining. With a pout, Yeonjun does. He starts from how his day started, all the way until he called Soobin. Yeonjun tries to hold back his tears as he explains what his mother said to him, but they don’t hold themselves back, falling down Yeonjun’s cheeks. Soobin just wraps his arms around Yeonjun, letting the older cry and mumble against his shirt.

It’s a bit difficult, but Yeonjun eventually finishes explaining. By the time he’s finished, he’s in Soobin’s arms again, facing Soobin’s chest. They’re different heights, so, if Yeonjun wants to look at Soobin, he’d have to crane his head up. But he doesn’t, so he continues staring at his nails.

“Hyung…you do know what your mother said is lies, right?”

“Y-yeah,” Yeonjun mutters.

“Then why did you believe her?”

Yeonjun opens his mouth, before he closes it. Why  _ did  _ he believe his mother? All she’s done is cause him pain over and over again, hence why Rosé doesn’t want him speaking or even  _ looking  _ at her. Yet, Yeonjun is over here, loving and adoring his mother with all of his heart. He loves her as if she’s the best mother in the world, which she is not. She’s the world’s  _ worst  _ mother. 

Even though his subconscious asked, Yeonjun knows the answer. He knows why he believed his mother, he knows why he loves her with all his heart, he knows why he looks up at her.

“Sh-she saved me,” Yeonjun lets out quietly. “B-back when I was seven, she saved me.”

“Saved you from what, hyung?” Soobin asks.

Yeonjun’s mind blanks as he thinks about what happened almost twelve years ago. He shakes his head, looking down at his hand. “S-something traumatic. Sh-she saved me from it. I-I owe her my life for that.”

Soobin knows to never ask someone what their trauma is about, so he doesn’t dare ask Yeonjun what his is. 

“Well, just because she saved you doesn’t mean you owe her your life,” Soobin says. “Look at how much pain she caused you, hyung. If you think about it, maybe that’s why you live with Rosé-noona instead of her. She’s poison for you, hyung. She doesn’t deserve your love.”

“I’m not worth your love, Soobin.” For the first time in almost two hours, Yeonjun finally looks up, locking eyes with the younger. “Yet, here I am, in your arms, just because I was a cry baby, and demanded your attention.”

“Hyung, I  _ want  _ to give it to you,” he says. “I’m not being forced by you.”

“Today it felt like I was,” Yeonjun mutters, but Soobin hears him, immediately feeling guilty.

“Hyung, I’m sorry about that,” he frowns. “I-I was being stupid.”

“No, you have a right to ignore me, Soobin,” Yeonjun says. “I was being noisy, and stuck my nose into your business. I-I’m sorry.”

“Hyung, stop apologizing,” Soobin says. “Nothing’s your fault, especially what happened at school. That was mine, and I’m sorry for ignoring you. If you really want to know what happened three years ago…well, I was in love, and it ended badly. E-ever since, I promised myself to never fall in love again. But…that seems to have changed.”

The last sentence gets Yeonjun’s interest, and he searches Soobin’s eyes to see what he meant. Yeonjun doesn’t find anything, which makes him let out a small frown.

“W-what do you mean, Soobin?”

“I fell in love with  _ you _ , hyung.”


	10. Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: underage molesting

_ The three-year-old boy frowned as he crouched by the staircase, covering his ears. All he heard were yells and more yells, especially yells coming from his father. His parents were screaming at the top of their lungs in the living room, especially since their son ‘fell asleep’ an hour ago. But their son couldn’t sleep, especially because of their screaming. _

_ Why couldn’t he have normal parents that love each other? _

_ “Why am I stuck here, Jeong-hoon?! I don’t want to live in this hellhole!” _

_ “We had a deal, Chun-Ae! Or do you not remember because of your dumb beers?!” _

_ “My beers are the only things keeping me sane, Choi! Either you take it or you leave it!” _

_ “Same goes to you! I’m giving you a roof over your head, a bed to sleep in, clothes to wear, and food in your stomach! Is this how you’re repaying me, you ungrateful bitch?” _

_ The boy’s mother stayed quiet, not knowing what to reply to that.  _

_ “Well, that won’t last long, Jeong-hoon,” she eventually said. “I’m saving up my own money to get out of this hellhole.” _

_ “You have to stay, Chun-Ae,” the male said sternly. “You can’t leave. You’re Yeonjun’s  _ mother _ , for god’s sake!” _

_ “The hell I am!” Chun-Ae snapped. “His real mother left long ago. I’m just someone you found, and you’re forcing me to be his real mother, because he lost his memory two years ago. If you don’t let me go, Jeong-hoon, I’ll tell him the truth.” _

_ “You wouldn’t dare.” _

_ “I would,” Chun-Ae said. “I’m not scared of someone worthless like you. You bastard.” _

_ A slap then resonated in the air. _

_ “Respect me, you ungrateful bitch,” Jeong-hoon snarled. “Remember, I can kick you out of this house, and you’ll be left with nothing.” _

_ Chun-Ae closed her mouth. As much as she hated to admit it, her ‘husband’ had a point. If she got kicked out, she’d be left with nothing. Not even one penny. All her hard work would go down the drain like nothing. _

_ “Fuck you,” she spat. _

_ As he heard his mother’s footsteps nearing, the five-year-old, Yeonjun, snuggled himself deeper underneath the staircase to not be seen. His mother sped past him, walking upstairs. It wasn’t long before they heard a door slam. Yeonjun frowned, and heard his father sigh. Yeonjun decided it was time to get out of the staircase, making himself visible to his father. _

_ “D-dad?” _

_ The male looked up, his eyes widening when he saw Yeonjun. _

_ “S-son, what are you doing here?” his father asked. “You’re supposed to be in bed.” _

_ “M-m’couldn’t sleep,” Yeonjun muttered. “W-why were you and mommy yelling?” _

_ His father sighed, and he crouched down to Yeonjun’s height. “We were fighting over something dumb. Go back to sleep, son. It’s late.” _

_ “Are you and mommy going to continue fighting?” he frowned. “M-m’don’t like when mommy and daddy fight.” _

_ His father let out a smile, and he kissed Yeonjun’s forehead. “We won’t fight anymore, then, son. Go to sleep.” _

_ “O-only if you tuck me in again.” _

_ His father let out a small chuckle, and he grabbed Yeonjun’s hand to lead him upstairs. _

* * *

_ Yeonjun’s father ended up lying. He and his wife continued fighting for the next few months. Yeonjun would even sometimes wake up because of it, but he wouldn’t let his presence be known to either of them anymore. He knew no one was perfect, especially parents, but he wished they would stop fighting, especially in the night when they should be sleeping instead. _

_ However, even though they fought, Yeonjun’s parents treated him with care. His father more than his mother, but she still treated him like a mother should to their child. Everything was as perfect as it could be in Yeonjun’s life. _

_ That is until a week before his fourth birthday arrived. _

_ It was night time, around 12:12 AM, when he felt it: someone climbing onto his bed. _

_ Either his father or mother would climb into his bed at times to keep him company when he had a nightmare, thought a monster was under his bed, or when he didn’t want to be alone. But this night, he didn’t feel any of those things.  _

_ So, why  _ was  _ there someone climbing onto his bed? _

_ Yeonjun’s eyes opened, but he couldn’t see anything—it was pitch black in his bedroom. However, he could still feel someone climbing onto his bed, and eventually climb on top of him. Yeonjun frowned, and tried not to act scared. _

_ “G-get off,” he said, trying to push the person, or whatever they were, off him. But Yeonjun was only a three year old. He barely had any strength. _

_ “Shh, Yeonjun,” a familiar voice whispered. The boy’s mind was still too tired to recognize it. “Nothing’s going to happen.” _

_ Although they said it, something  _ did  _ start to happen. Yeonjun could feel someone’s cold hand sneak itself up his pajama shirt, feeling the warm skin underneath. Yeonjun shivered, and fear rose in him. _

_ “L-leave me alone,” he said louder. “G-get off.” _

_ “Come on, Yeonjun,” the voice said smugly. “I know you want this. I can see the look in your eye whenever you see me.” _

_ “G-get off!” Yeonjun yelled. _

_ The person’s eyes narrowed, and they shoved a cloth in Yeonjun’s mouth. “Shut up, boy.” _

_ Yeonjun could now smell the alcohol coming from the person, and he started crying. He muffled back his sobs as the person continued touching him. His pajamas were still on, but that didn’t mean the man’s hands didn’t stop touching him. It got so worse that the man started moaning, and Yeonjun was a thrashing, crying, screaming mess underneath him. _

_ Finally, someone seemed to have heard Yeonjun’s prayers. He saw the light turn on in the hallway, and he let out a muffled sob in relief. The man on top of him didn’t seem to notice, too dazed by Yeonjun’s small body to do so. Fortunately, the person who turned on the light seemed to be Yeonjun’s mother. When she stepped into his room, her eyes widened at the man on top of her son, and was quick to pull him off her little boy. _

_ “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” she yelled, grabbing Yeonjun into her arms. “Get your filthy arms off my boy!” _

_ Yeonjun climbed into his mother’s arms, and she picked him up properly into her arms. He held onto her neck tightly, sobbing into her neck. She took out the cloth from his mouth so his sobs could be heard, and he didn’t let his mother go.  _

_ Not even when the police came. _

_ Not even when they took away the man. _

_ Not even when they brought Yeonjun and his mother in for questioning. _

_ Not until his father came back home, and he was in his arms again. _

_ But something seemed different from his father. It might just be Yeonjun’s imagination, but whilst hugging his father, he thought his hands felt familiar. Just like…the man’s hands felt. But Yeonjun always shook his head. His dearest, lovely father would never lay a hand on him, especially if it were for sexual purposes. Yeonjun continued thinking that, and eventually his brain accepted it as well. It erased any memory that Yeonjun had about how the man felt, but it didn’t erase what the man did to him, even though Yeonjun wished it did. _

_ Except, the years passed, and Yeonjun grew older. His parents took him to therapy, but it only helped a little. The memory of what happened to him still haunts him, and he eventually realized that his father  _ could  _ and  _ would  _ lay a hand on him. Especially when he and his father got so angry at each other that his father slapped him harshly across the face. _

_ It didn’t stop there, either. Every time Yeonjun and his father would fight, Yeonjun would always storm away with a red cheek, and one time, even with a scratch across his face.  _

_ Fortunately, when his father’s sister came over, Yeonjun met Rosé. His cousin was twelve, and he was seven when they met, which brings them only five years apart. Rosé and Yeonjun immediately clicked, and became best friends. She was even the one who introduced Yeonjun to Beomgyu and Hueningkai, since they were the kids she sometimes babysat. _

_ Yeonjun got close to all three of them: Rosé, Beomgyu, and Kai. They all became best friends, and Yeonjun’s close to all three of them. Rosé was the only one who was allowed to sleep over, though, since Yeonjun’s mother didn’t want Beomgyu and Hueningkai to sleep in the same room as Yeonjun. _

_ (“i just don’t want you to be harassed again, sweetie,” she would always tell him, even though they  _ both  _ knew beomgyu and hueningkai weren’t like that.) _

_ (but it took yeonjun a long time to realize that, since he loves his mother with all his heart, and believes whatever she tells him.) _

_ Yeonjun got so emotionally abused by his mother that it got to the point where Rosé and her parents had to take him away. The foster care system even joined in, and the court signed the papers to let Rosé’s parents, Yeonjun’s aunt and uncle, be the legal guardians of him.  _

_ Sadly, his uncle and aunt died when he was thirteen and Rosé was eighteen. They were killed by a drunk driver, and Rosé held a funeral service for them. She and Yeonjun were alone for a few months, struggling with money and practically everything else, before Rosé got her teaching job at Yeonjun’s future high school. Although she was a bit too young to be a teacher, she was smart enough. She became a teacher at the high school even before Yeonjun’s father became the principal.  _

_ When Yeonjun finally started high school, he was alone. Beomgyu and Hueningkai were still in eighth grade, which left Yeonjun alone. He had Rosé, but she was a teacher. They couldn’t hang out during classes, and maybe not even during lunch.  _

_ That was until Yeonjun was running late on his third day of school, and he needed help finding his second-period classroom. He always struggled to find it, especially since it was difficult to find. He was panicking, not wanting to be late, and especially be in detention. _

_ Fortunately, luck seemed to be on his side, since he noticed a raven-haired boy not that far from him. He somehow seemed to look older than Yeonjun, but the teen wondered why the other boy was hanging up flyers if he should be in class instead. _

_ “U-um, hi,” Yeonjun nervously greeted, hesitantly walking toward the other boy. _

_ He jumped, not expecting Yeonjun’s voice. The boy looked at Yeonjun, giving him a small smile that showed his dimples on both his cheeks. _

_ “H-hi,” he returned. “May I help you?” _

_ “Y-yeah, actually.” Yeonjun looked down at his schedule. “Do you know where the Biology classroom is?” _

_ “That’s my second period,” the boy said with a smile. _

_ “Then why aren’t you there?” Yeonjun asked. _

_ “I’m a member of the student council,” the boy explained. “I’m allowed to step out of class if I need to do…student council things.” _

_ Yeonjun let out a giggle. “Oh, okay. You’re lucky, then.” _

_ “I guess,” the boy muttered. He smiled, extending his hand. “Hi. I’m Choi Soobin.” _

_ Yeonjun smiled back, shaking the younger’s hand. “Hi, Soobin. I’m Choi Yeonjun.” _

_ “Nice to meet you,” Soobin said. “How old are you?” _

_ “Fifteen.” _

_ “So, you’re my hyung, then,” Soobin mused. “I’m thirteen.” _

_ Yeonjun’s eyebrows raised. “You are? You look way older than that.” _

_ “I know,” Soobin chuckled. “But I’m thirteen. This is my first year.” _

_ “Th-this is mine, too,” Yeonjun said. _

_ Soobin’s eyebrows raised this time. “Really? I thought this was at least your second year.” _

_ Yeonjun shook his head. “Nope. This is my third.” _

_ “Wow,” Soobin gaped. “Well, before you get detention, let me show you to bio.” _

_ Yeonjun nodded, and he followed behind Soobin. _

_ After Yeonjun met the younger, he added Soobin to his list of friends. They weren’t as close as they are with Beomgyu and Hueningkai—Yeonjun was surprised when he learned that Soobin was besties with Beomgyu and Kai as well—but they’re still pretty good friends.  _

_ Yeonjun didn’t notice it when he met Soobin, but a week after they met, Yeonjun could see the redness, puffiness, and sadness in Soobin’s eyes whenever he and the younger would lock eyes. Yeonjun wondered why Soobin looked so tired and sad all the time, and even tried to ask Beomgyu and Hueningkai, but they wouldn’t spill anything for Soobin’s behalf. It got to the point where Yeonjun had to ask Soobin himself, but Soobin wouldn’t tell him anything.  _

_ That didn’t mean Yeonjun stopped trying, though. He continued asking Soobin why he looked as if he wanted to end it all, but Soobin would avoid or ignore his questions. Gradually, Yeonjun dropped it. Soobin’s face even got happier five months after they started tenth grade.  _

_ Finally, for Yeonjun, he learned one of the reasons why Soobin looked so depressed back in their ninth-grade year: it had to do with his last relationship. _

_ There had been some rumors about what happened in Soobin’s last relationship. Some say Soobin’s lover died, others say Soobin’s lover left him for someone else, and others say Soobin was too in love, and his lover just broke his heart. No one knows what happened, except for Beomgyu and Kai, but they keep their mouths shut. _

_ Yeonjun just wishes he gains enough of Soobin’s trust, so Soobin can finally tell him what happened three years ago with his last lover. _


	11. Trouble

_ “I fell in love with  _ you _ , hyung.” _

Those words keep running through Yeonjun’s head as he just stares at Soobin with wide eyes. Soobin looks back at him, seeming as if he regrets confessing. 

“H-hyung, please say something,” he frowns.

“Y-you…fell in love with…me?”

“Yeah,” Soobin admits, biting his lower lip. “Look, I get if you don’t like me back, hyung. Why would you? We’re just friends, right? Fuck, I’m sorry. I-I knew I shouldn’t have-”

Before Soobin can continue rambling, Yeonjun grabs both sides of his face, and slams their lips together. Soobin stops talking (obviously), and his eyes are wide. He can’t believe Choi Yeonjun, a boy he’s been  _ crushing  _ on for quite a while now, is  _ kissing  _ him. Soobin doesn’t kiss back until he snaps out of his shock, cupping Yeonjun’s cheek softly. Yeonjun smiles against the kiss, and softly tugs on Soobin’s hair. 

Ultimately, Soobin and Yeonjun run out of air, and gently pull away. They lock eyes, smiling shyly at each other.

“C-can I take that as an ‘I like you, too, Soobin’?” he asks with a small smile.

Yeonjun giggles, nodding. “Yeah, because I  _ do  _ like you. I don’t know why I always denied it.”

“Yeah, me, too,” Soobin softly agrees.

“Don’t you have a crush on that cheerleader Mina, though?” Yeonjun says.

“No,” Soobin says. “You sure do believe a lot of those rumors, hyung.”

“Can you blame me?” Yeonjun says. “I’ve been crushing on you for a while now, and I hear that you, my crush, has feelings for one of the cheerleaders. I didn’t believe it at first, because I’m not  _ that  _ dumb, but then I would see you with Mina a lot, and I eventually believed it.”

“Well, I don’t like her,” Soobin assures. “Or anyone, for that matter.” He smiles, wrapping his arms around Yeonjun’s waist, and pulling him closer. “I only have eyes for  _ you _ , hyung.”

“You better,” he says jokingly. Yeonjun smiles, looking into Soobin’s eyes. “But I also only have eyes for you, Soobin.”

“You better,” he mocks, making Yeonjun smack his arm. “Well, now that I know you like me, hyung, why don’t you be my boyfriend?”

Yeonjun’s eyes widen, and he almost chokes on his own saliva. “Y-you want me to be your boyfriend?”

“Yeah,” Soobin mutters, starting to feel shy. “W-we like each other now, don’t we?”

“But…what about your trauma?” Yeonjun hesitantly asks. “I don’t want you to feel forced to do anything, Soobin.”

“You’re not,” he says. “I  _ want  _ to date you, hyung. One of the main reasons I do want to is so I can start trying to forget what happened. Are you okay with that?”

“If that means you won’t be in pain anymore then I am,” Yeonjun replies. “But only use me for that. You dare use me for anything else, I’ll kill you, Choi Soobin.”

The younger nervously laughs. “I’m not going to ‘use’ you, hyung. It’d be wrong if I did. I’m just going to erase my bad memories with our new better ones. So, will you be my boyfriend, hyung?”

Yeonjun smiles, and he pecks Soobin’s lips. “I’d love to be your boyfriend, Choi Soobin.”

The raven-haired male smiles back, and he intertwines his and Yeonjun’s fingers together. “And before you start complaining, I’ll take you to dinner tomorrow, hyung. Our first official date.”

“I’d like that,” he mutters. “When?”

“Six-thirty,” Soobin replies. “Is that okay with you?”

Yeonjun nods. “Can’t wait, Soobs.”

The younger smiles. His eyes drift to the clock behind Yeonjun, his eyes widening when he realizes it’s midnight already. He looks back at Yeonjun.

“Hyung, does Rosé noona you’re here with me?” Soobin questions.

“No,” Yeonjun admits. “Why?”

“It’s midnight, hyung,” Soobin says. “When did you tell noona you were going to be back?”

Yeonjun’s eyes widen, and his eyes search for the nearest clock. He finds it, and he reads the time; 12:12 AM. He told Rosé he’d be back around nine. 

_ Fuck. _

“Shit,” he curses, quickly getting off of Soobin’s bed. Yeonjun puts on his shoes, and Soobin gets up, realizing Yeonjun indeed didn’t tell Rosé where he is.

“Hasn’t she been texting and calling you?” Soobin says, grabbing another hoodie.

“I-I don’t know,” Yeonjun mutters. “M-my phone died after I called you.”

Soobin nods, and he grabs his keys from his nightstand. “Let’s go.”

Yeonjun nods this time, and he follows behind Soobin downstairs. They walk out of Soobin’s house, and get inside his car that’s in the garage. Soobin quickly turns the car on as he buckles himself in, Yeonjun doing the same. Soobin backs up from the garage and driveway, before starting to drive toward Yeonjun’s and Rosé’s house. As Soobin does, Yeonjun grabs the charger Soobin has in the front, and plugs his phone. It soon turns on, but it takes two minutes for everything to load. Once it does, multiple texts and notifications from Rosé start popping up, spamming Yeonjun’s phone. Soobin hears, making him wince.

“She’s going to kill me,” Yeonjun whines under his breath.

“M-maybe she’s asleep right now,” Soobin says.

“Hopefully,” Yeonjun frowns. He counts how many notifications he has from Rosé in total: fifty-three texts, thirty-nine missed calls, and eighty-three other notifications from other social media apps they both have. “Yup, she’s going to kill me. Did she call you, Soobin?”

“No,” he says. “I don’t think she has my number.”

“Right, she only has Beom’s and Kai’s,” Yeonjun mutters. “Fuck, she’s going to kill me.”

Fortunately, there weren’t that many cars and people in the road tonight, especially since it’s midnight, so Soobin and Yeonjun arrive at Yeonjun’s house almost fifteen minutes later. Usually, it takes twenty. Soobin parks outside Yeonjun’s house, and Yeonjun quickly grabs his stuff. He unbuckles himself, but remembers Soobin. Yeonjun looks up at the younger, and Soobin looks back at him.

“Is everything okay, hyung?” Soobin asks.

Yeonjun doesn’t reply; he kisses Soobin instead. Soobin’s eyes widen, but he’s quick to kiss Yeonjun back, especially since he doesn’t have enough time to wait for Soobin. The two kiss quickly, and Yeonjun pulls away with a smile.

“Bye, Bin,” he says. “Goodnight.”

“G-goodnight, hyung,” Soobin returns faintly.

Yeonjun chuckles at Soobin’s shyness, walking quickly toward his front door. Soobin still stays outside Yeonjun’s house to make sure he arrives inside his house safely. Yeonjun unlocks the front door, and quietly steps inside. He closes the door behind him carefully, trying to not make a single noise. But once he turns around, he knows Rosé is awake, since he can see the light on in the kitchen. To get to the stairs, Yeonjun has to pass by the kitchen, so Rosé is going to see him either way.

“About time you arrive, Choi Yeonjun,” she says, and she does  _ not  _ sound happy.

Yeonjun gulps. An angry Rosé is not a Rosé you want to see.

Hesitantly, Yeonjun walks toward the kitchen. Once he arrives, he sees Rosé sitting at the kitchen island, in her pajamas, with her strawberry blonde hair up in a messy bun. She has a glass of wine (?) in front of her, and she glares up at Yeonjun once she hears him arrive.

“H-hi, noona,” he greets with a nervous smile. “W-what are you doing still up?”

“I should ask you the same thing,” Rosé says. “What the fuck, Choi Yeonjun? You told me you’d be back by nine, and you weren’t. You know I don’t care how long you’re out, but at least tell me. Do you  _ want  _ to get grounded?”

Sixteen-year-old Choi Yeonjun would talk back to Rosé, telling her she isn’t his real mother to be telling him what and not to do. But eighteen-year-old Choi Yeonjun knows how hard Rosé is trying to be the best parental figure to him, so he doesn’t want to give her a hard time.

“N-no,” he mutters. “I-I’m sorry, noona. I-I lost track of time, and my phone died. Th-that’s why I didn’t answer any of your calls. B-but why didn’t you look for me?”

“Who said I didn’t?” Rosé says, raising an eyebrow. “I went looking for you everywhere in Seoul. I called Beomgyu and Hueningkai, and they told me you weren’t with them.”

“I-I was with Soobin,” Yeonjun partially lies. He was for the past two hours. He was with his parents and Ae-Ri for the other two. 

“Give me Soobin’s number, then,” Rosé says, taking out her phone. “You’re grounded, Choi Yeonjun.”

“W-what’s my punishment?” he asks, hoping Rosé won’t say that he can’t go out for a few days. His and Soobin’s date is  _ tomorrow _ . Yeonjun can’t afford to miss that.

“You’re not allowed to go out for a week,” Rosé says, making Yeonjun’s heart drop.

“C-can’t you give me another punishment?” he says, a bit hopefully.

Rosé raises an eyebrow. “That’s the worst punishment I can give you, Yeonjun.”

“T-take my phone away instead,” he says. 

“Why?” Rosé questions. 

Yeonjun bites his bottom lip. He knows Rosé doesn’t mind if he has a boyfriend, or goes out on dates, but he’s still nervous. Especially since Rosé is still angry at him.

“Um…I’m going on a date with Choi Soobin tomorrow,” he finally informs. 

Rosé’s angry look vanishes from her face, forming into a look of surprise and slight excitement. “Y-you are?”

Yeonjun nods, a bit shyly. “Y-yeah. He asked me out earlier.”

Rosé’s mouth drops, before she squeals. “Finally! My baby is going out on a  _ date _ ! And with an excellent boy.”

“N-noona, I’m not your baby,” Yeonjun whines.

“I’ve taken care of you for seven years now, Yeonjun,” Rosé says sternly. “You’re my baby whether you like it or not.”

“Fine,” Yeonjun sighs. “So, can you give me another punishment, noona?”

“Your punishment will start on Monday,” Rosé decides. “Your date is for tomorrow, right?”

Yeonjun nods. “At six-thirty.”

“Okay,” Rosé says. “Luckily for you, since you gave me such exciting news, I’ll shorten it to five days instead of a week.”

Yeonjun smiles, and he hugs Rosé. “Thanks, noona. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you anything.”

“It’s fine, Jun,” she says. “But this happens again, I’ll ground you for life. Don’t you dare ever make me worry like that again, Choi Yeonjun.”

“I promise I won’t, noona,” he says excitedly.

“You better,” Rosé says. She glances at the clock as Yeonjun pulls away; twelve-thirty. “Since it’s getting late, we’re both going to bed, Yeonjun. You’re telling me everything that happened with Soobin in the morning.”

Yeonjun chuckles. “As you wish.”

Rosé and Yeonjun walk upstairs, bidding each other goodnight. Rosé closes the door to her bedroom behind her, and Yeonjun decides to shower later. He closes his bedroom door, before climbing onto his bed. He plugs in his phone so it can charge, and decides to add Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Kai into a group chat.

(yeonjun would add soobin, but he doesn’t want the younger to know how he’s feeling about their first date yet.)

**yeonjun:** **  
** morning everyone!

**beomgyu:** **  
** hyung what are u still doing awake?

**taehyun:** **  
** some of us are trying to sleep

**yeonjun:** **  
** plz it’s 12:30 on a saturday

**yeonjun:** **  
** ik u two are texting each other

**yeonjun:** **  
** and ik kai is playing video games w soobs

**hueningkai:** **  
** hyung’s not wrong

**yeonjun:** **  
** and that’s bc i’m smart

**beomgyu:** **  
** u wish hyung

**yeonjun:** **  
** rude :(

**taehyun:** **  
** why did u text us hyung

**yeonjun:** **  
** first to ask how urs and beom’s date went

**hueningkai:** **  
** ooh i wanna know too

**beomgyu:** **  
** can’t we talk on monday

**taehyun:** **  
** ya it’d be easier to talk

**yeonjun:** **  
** fine we’ll be in a group call then

Yeonjun doesn’t let the others reply as he calls Beomgyu first. Beomgyu hesitantly replies, so Yeonjun adds Taehyun, then Kai. They all answer, and Yeonjun turns the call into a video one. Everyone accepts the invitation, their faces popping up onto the screen.

“Hi, everyone,” Yeonjun greets.

“Hi, hyung,” the younger three return in unison.

“I’m surprised to see you two aren’t together right now,” Yeonjun tells Beomgyu and Taehyun.

“Obviously we’re not, hyung,” Beomgyu says, rolling his eyes. “It’s almost one a.m.”

“How did your guy’s date go, then?” Yeonjun asks.

“Yeah, we wanna know the tea,” Hueningkai agrees.

“It went amazing,” Taehyun replies with a small smile. If it weren’t for the darkness, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, and Kai would be able to see the blush on Taehyun’s cheeks. “G-Gyu-hyung was really sweet, and we had a fun time.”

“We did,” he says. 

“Did you guys kiss?” Kai asks excitedly. 

Beomgyu and Taehyun shyly nod, making Yeonjun and Hueningkai erupt into squeals. Yeonjun does it quietly, since Rosé is sleeping. Beomgyu and Taehyun smile shyly, seeming to avoid eye contact with each other. Eventually, Yeonjun and Kai stop squealing, and they smile at Beomgyu and Taehyun.

“Are you guys a couple now, then?” Yeonjun says. “Please tell me you guys are.”

“W-we are, hyung,” Taehyun confirms. “W-we’re dating now.”

Yeonjun and Hueningkai start squealing again, and Yeonjun hides his in a pillow, so he won’t wake Rosé up. Beomgyu and Taehyun chuckle at the two, waiting until they stop squealing like little piglets. Yeonjun and Kai do a few minutes later, a bit out of breath now.

“Congrats, you two!” Hueningkai says. “We have one couple in our friend group now.”

“Um, not really, Kai,” Yeonjun says, deciding now’s the time.

Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai look at Yeonjun.

“W-what do you mean, hyung?” Beomgyu questions.

Yeonjun smiles, biting his bottom lip. “S-Soobin and I are…going on a date tomorrow.”

The three’s mouth drops, and their eyes widen as well. Beomgyu and Kai seem to have dropped their phone, since their face doesn’t show on the screen anymore. Taehyun is in awe, and he stares at Yeonjun in amazement.

“D-did you confess first, hyung?” Taehyun asks.

“Surprisingly I didn’t,” Yeonjun replies. “S-Soobin did.”

Beomgyu and Hueningkai let out a squeal. “Fucking finally!”

“Says you, Beomgyu,” Yeonjun shoots back. “You didn’t even confess to Taehyun until he did.”

“I know, but at least I didn’t deny having a crush on him,” Beomgyu retorts. “You always would, which was annoying. Guess who turned out to be wrong.”

Yeonjun rolls his eyes. “Shut up.”

“Wait,” Kai says, making everyone look at him. “Did Soobin-hyung tell you he has feelings for you, then, hyung?”

Yeonjun nods. “Yeah. I-if I remember correctly, he said ‘I fell in love with  _ you _ , hyung.'”

“Don’t you realize it, hyung?” Hueningkai says.

Yeonjun isn’t the only confused; Beomgyu and Taehyun are as well, since their eyebrows are knitted together.

“What do you mean, Kai?” Taehyun questions.

“Don’t you guys remember about the bet?” Hueningkai says, raising an eyebrow. “The bet Yeonjun-hyung made with Joy-noona?”

A chorus of ‘oh’s is let out from Yeonjun’s, Beomgyu’s, and Taehyun’s mouth.

“Oh, that,” Yeonjun sighs. But then his eyes light up, and his mouth drops. “Th-that means I won! I-I won the bet!”

“Oh my god, you did, hyung,” Beomgyu realizes. 

“See, I told you three I could do it,” Yeonjun says proudly. “That’ll show Joy.”

“Hyung, I think you made a terrible mistake, though,” Taehyun frowns. “It won’t be sooner or later that Soobin-hyung finds out about the bet. He’ll think you’re just dating him for the fun of it, and he’ll be hurt. From what I hear from Beomgyu-hyung and Kai, he doesn’t have a good relationship with love. You’ll hurt him, hyung, and he’ll hate you for making the bet.”

“Tae, he won’t hate me,” Yeonjun scoffs. “He won’t find out about the bet, either. Nothing like that is going to happen. We’ll be fine.”

“I think Tae has a point, hyung,” Hueningkai agrees. “Soobin-hyung is going to be heartbroken once he finds out.”

_ “If  _ he finds out,” Yeonjun corrects. “He won’t.”

“How are you so sure?” Beomgyu demands.

“I just am,” Yeonjun replies. “Soobin won’t find out. I’ll make sure of that.”


	12. First

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeonjun's new york fashion week photos are killing me, y'all are invited to my funeral 😩🙏🏿
> 
> the show was AMAZING tho i swear i cried

Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai continue talking with each other for the next hour. They would have talked for a longer time if Taehyun’s mom hadn’t woken up, and scared poor Taehyun. The four slept around three a.m., since their call ended at two-thirty. 

Hours later, Yeonjun wakes up around ten-sixteen, which gave him seven hours and sixteen minutes of sleep last night. He can hear noise and movement coming from downstairs, so he knows Rosé is awake. He yawns, stretching his arms above his head. He gets up from his bed to charge his phone, before padding toward the bathroom to do his morning routine. He doesn’t even remember that he has a  _ date  _ with  _ Soobin  _ until his phone dings, alerting him of a message from Taehyun.

Confused, Yeonjun grabs his phone to see the message the younger one sent him.

**taehyun:** **  
** good morning hyung

**taehyun:** **  
** sorry if i woke u up

**taehyun:** **  
** i just wanted to ask if u want me to come over to help u get ready for ur date

**taehyun:** **  
** u did the same for me so i want to repay the favor

_ Date? _ , Yeonjun thinks to himself, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.  _ I don’t have a date. What is Tae talking about? _

Yeonjun looks back at his phone, his fingers hovering above his keyboard. He’s about to ask Taehyun what he means, before he remembers:  _ he’s having a date with Choi Soobin today at six-thirty. _

_ I’m. Going. On. A. Date. With. Soobin. _

Yeonjun’s mouth drops, and his phone falls from his hands, creating a soft thump as it makes contact with the carpet underneath Yeonjun’s naked feet. He covers his mouth with his hands, not being able to believe he’s going on a  _ date  _ with  _ Choi Soobin  _ later today.

“Oh my god!!”

At his loud squeal, Yeonjun hears Rosé running up the stairs, her footsteps nearing his room. It isn’t long before she arrives, slamming the door open. She has a panicked look across her face, and her eyes dart toward Yeonjun.

“Are you okay?!” she exclaims, running toward him. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

“N-no, noona, I’m okay,” he assures, coming over his shock.

Rosé sighs in relief. “Then why did you scream?”

“I remembered I’m going on a date with Soobin today!” Yeonjun squeals.

Rosé shakes her head. “Don’t scare me like that, Yeonjun. You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“Sorry, noona,” he apologizes. “Oh, is it okay if my friend comes over? He wants to help me get ready.”

“That’s okay,” Rosé says. “But I’m helping you, too.”

Yeonjun nods. “As you wish, noona.”

“Hurry up, and come downstairs,” Rosé says. “Breakfast’s almost ready.”

“I’ll be there soon, noona.”

Rosé shoots Yeonjun a look, before disappearing completely out of his room. Yeonjun sighs, and he remembers he didn’t text Taehyun back. Yeonjun bends down to grab his phone from the floor, and unlocks it to go to his and Taehyun’s messages, quickly typing a quick message to him.

**yeonjun:** **  
** morning tae!

**yeonjun:** **  
** dw u didn’t wake me up

**yeonjun:** **  
** i woke myself up

**yeonjun:** **  
** and ofc u can come over noona’s okay w it too

It takes Taehyun a few moments to reply, but he soon does.

**taehyun:** **  
** i assume ‘noona’ is ur cousin ?

**yeonjun:** **  
** ya

**yeonjun:** **  
** what time are u going to come over

**taehyun:** **  
** three if that’s ok w u?

**yeonjun:** **  
** three it is then

**yeonjun:** **  
** see u then tae

**taehyun:** **  
** bye hyung

Yeonjun smiles, putting his phone away. He walks downstairs to eat breakfast with Rosé. But once he steps foot in the kitchen, he notices his cousin talking on the phone. Rosé hasn’t seen him yet, since her back is facing him, but Yeonjun can tell by her tone that she isn’t happy. He stays by the corner of the entrance of the kitchen to hear what’s happening in Rosé’s call.

“I accept the offer, noona, but I don’t think I can go,” she’s saying. “I have Yeonjun to take care of, and he has his own date that I have to help him with. It’s his first date, too. Maybe another day.”

Rosé doesn’t talk for a few seconds, probably letting the person she’s talking with speak. Rosé sighs, running her fingers through her strawberry blonde locks.

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you, noona,” she frowns. “We’re both busy, and we can’t do it another day.”

Rosé doesn’t speak again, and when the other stops speaking, she sighs. Surprisingly to Yeonjun, though, Rosé has a small sad smile on her face. “Yeah. It was nice, noona. Hopefully, one day we can do it again.”

Rosé’s small smile turns into a small frown as she pulls her phone away from her ear. She sighs, looking down at it. Yeonjun decides it’s time to make his presence known, stepping inside the kitchen. He looks at Rosé in concern, a frown on his face mirroring hers.

“Noona…you okay?” he asks softly.

Rosé looks up. Her eyes hold sadness in them, but she smiles at Yeonjun. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why do you ask, Jun?”

“Your eyes tell me otherwise, noona,” he says. “And…I heard your phone call, too. Who were you talking with?”

Rosé sighs. “J-Jisoo.”

“What did she say?”

“She asked if I wanted to go on a date today,” Rosé hesitantly explains. “I told her I couldn’t go today, because I have to help you get ready for yours. She then told me if we can’t do it today, then we can’t do it another day, since she’s moving out of the country.”

“You barely met her, though, noona,” Yeonjun says. “Why are you so sad?”

Rosé shakes his head. “I’ve known Jisoo ever since elementary, Yeonjun.”

The blue-haired male’s eyes widen. “What?”

“We’ve been friends ever since, too,” Rosé adds. “I just didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to get your hopes up that I finally had a partner.”

Yeonjun rolls his eyes. “Noona, I don’t care if you ever have a partner or not. As long as you’re happy, I’m okay with whatever. Call Jisoo back, and tell her you’re going on that date.”

“But-”

“No buts,” Yeonjun interrupts. “Tell her you’re free at eight, because my date’s at six-thirty, and you need time to get ready. It won’t take us the whole night to get me ready, noona. You know that. Grab your phone, dial Jisoo’s number, and tell her you’re going on a date with her.”

“W-what if something happens-”

“Noona, I’ll be fine,” Yeonjun assures. “I’m old enough to take care of myself, anyway. I’m eighteen, for god’s sake. I’ll be fine. If anything happens, I’ll call you.”

Rosé looks a bit doubtful, but from the look Yeonjun is giving her, she gives in. “Fine.”

Yeonjun’s stern look breaks into a smile. “Good. You can do it, noona.”

Rosé frowns at Yeonjun, grabbing her phone. Yeonjun snickers, and walks toward the fridge to take out the milk to serve himself breakfast.

* * *

As promised by the blonde, Yeonjun hears the doorbell ring hours later at three p.m. He was getting ready to take a shower, but sighs, walking out of his room. Rosé was downstairs already, so Yeonjun isn’t surprised to see her opening the door, smiling when she sees Taehyun.

“Hi,” she greets. “You must be Taehyun.”

The blonde smiles, and he bows. “I-I am. I assume you’re Yeonjun-hyung’s cousin?”

“I am,” she says. “You can call me Rosé. Come in.”

“Thanks, noona,” Taehyun says, stepping inside Rosé’s and Yeonjun’s house. Looking up, Taehyun locks eyes with Yeonjun, and the two smile at each other.

Yeonjun basically runs down the rest of the stairs, and he engulfs Taehyun into a hug. Taehyun is a bit surprised, but he hugs Yeonjun back. The two pull away seconds later, Yeonjun smiling brightly at Taehyun.

“Ah, Tae, I’m so glad you could make it!” Yeonjun squeals. 

“Hello to you, too, hyung,” Taehyun chuckles.

Yeonjun smiles sheepishly. “Heh, hi. Um, I was just about to take a shower, but you and Rosé-noona can start looking through my closet to choose an outfit.”

Taehyun nods, so Yeonjun leads him and Rosé upstairs to his room. Once they arrive, Taehyun is surprised to see a mess in Yeonjun’s room: clothes splattered everywhere, as well as shoes, and even makeup is sprawled across the floor.

“Sorry about the mess,” he apologizes. “I was panicking.”

“It’s okay, hyung,” Taehyun says. 

Yeonjun nods, and he smiles at Taehyun and Rosé, before stepping inside his bathroom. Yeonjun closes the door behind him, and sighs in relief, leaning against the door. His heart has been heating very loudly and rapidly all day, especially since Yeonjun is finally going on a date with  _ Choi Soobin _ . After eating breakfast, Yeonjun was all giddy, and he kept squealing to Rosé about how excited and nervous he was for his date. He kept worrying about what he was going to wear, trying to calm himself down, since he knew Taehyun was coming over to help.

Still, Yeonjun is giddy, nervous, and excited. His hands keep shaking, but he doesn’t know whether it’s from excitement or nervousness. 

Yeonjun shakes his head, trying to focus on showering for now. He slips out of his pajamas and boxers, leaving him naked. He turns on the shower, and waits for the water to heat up. Once it does, he steps inside the shower, letting the hot water drench him. He takes his time showering, wanting to make sure he smells good, and looks clean for his and Soobin’s date.

If he’s this excited for a date with Soobin, Yeonjun wonders why he always denied having a crush on the younger.

_ Because you’re stupid, that’s why _ , Yeonjun thinks to himself.  _ You’re so dumb you couldn’t even realize you had a crush, you dumbass. _

Yeonjun giggles to himself. He isn’t exactly insulting himself; he’s trying to calm down, and making fun of himself by doing so. It’s one of the things that helps him keep himself sane.

Fortunately, Yeonjun’s shower doesn’t take too long, and he steps out of the shower. He dries himself with a towel, before wrapping it around his frame. He pads out of the bathroom with naked feet, steam coming out of the bathroom because of how hot the water was. Rosé and Taehyun stop talking with each other once they notice Yeonjun, looking at him.

“Don’t you look clean and shiny,” Rosé remarks.

“Thanks,” Yeonjun says. “I used baby oil and some type of special soap to make my skin look shiny and healthy.”

“That’s smart,” Taehyun mutters.

Yeonjun giggles. “Did you guys finish?”

“Yes, actually,” Rosé replies. She holds up a hanger. “We don’t know if you’d like it, but we chose this for you.”

“It’d be easier if Soobin-hyung told us where he’s taking you,” Taehyun says.

“It would, but Soobinie’s still amazing,” Yeonjun mutters, a lovesick look on his face. Rosé and Taehyun shake their head at Yeonjun, but can’t blame him. They’re the same way with Jisoo and Beomgyu.

“Earth to Yeonjun!” Rosé calls out. “We still need to dress you, do your hair, and do your makeup.”

“Ugh, that’s a lot of work,” Yeonjun groans. A lovesick look appears on his face again. “Anything for Soobinie, though.”

“Hyung,” Taehyun giggles. “We need to hurry up.”

Yeonjun snaps out of it, nodding. He unwraps the towel around him, and since Taehyun didn’t expect him to do so, he turns around quickly, his face flushing red. Yeonjun notices, letting out a small giggle.

“Tae, you can turn around,” he allows. “We’re both boys. There’s no shame in seeing each other naked.”

“A-are you sure?” Taehyun asks. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“You won’t,” Yeonjun assures. 

Hesitantly, Taehyun turns around. He keeps his eyes on Yeonjun’s face, not wanting to look down at his naked body. Rosé chuckles at Taehyun, handing Yeonjun the hanger with the outfit she and the blonde chose.

“Change into it, Jun,” she says. “If you don’t like it, we have two backups.”

Yeonjun nods. He pulls on a pair of boxers, before he changes into the outfit, which is a black and white striped button-up. The collar’s completely white, as well as the cuffs and buttons. The shirt’s tucked into black trousers, and he pulls on black socks and black leather shoes. To top the outfit off, he wraps a thin black choker around his neck, making sure it isn’t too tight that it does end up choking him.

“So, how do I look?” he asks, turning to Rosé and Taehyun.

To a bit of Yeonjun’s surprise, Rosé’s eyes are watery. A small smile is on her face as she stares at Yeonjun. The bluenette smiles.

“Y-you look perfect, Jun,” she says, her voice cracking a little. Rosé sniffles, fanning her eyes. “S-sorry.”

“Why are you crying, noona?” Taehyun questions, handing Rosé a tissue.

“I-it’s just…it’s been a while that I’ve seen Yeonjun get ready for a date,” she explains, wiping her eyes. “And now I’m helping him get ready for another date, and he’s going with an excellent boy. I-it makes me a bit emotional, you know?”

“If you’re this emotional, I wonder how you’re going to react when I get married,” Yeonjun chuckles. 

“Oh, don’t get me started,” Rosé says, making Yeonjun and Taehyun laugh. “A-anyway, let’s get started on your hair and makeup, Jun.”

The three spend the next hour doing Yeonjun’s hair and makeup, bantering here and there. When they’re finally done, Yeonjun ends up with red-bronze eyeshadow on his eyes, as well as a bit of liquid mascara, and a layer of pink lipgloss on his lips to make them shine, courtesy of Rosé. His blue hair straightened and parted to the side, courtesy of Taehyun.

“Oh my god, I should become a makeup artist,” Rosé mutters, looking at Yeonjun’s reflection in the mirror.

Yeonjun chuckles. “Noona, you’re better off as a teacher.”

“True.”

Taehyun smiles. “We’re done, hyung.”

Yeonjun lets out a small squeal, getting up from the chair. He checks the time; 5:59 PM. Just thirty-one more minutes until his and Soobin’s date.

“Is Soobin going to pick you up?” Rosé asks. Before Yeonjun can reply, she quickly says, “Who am I kidding? Of course, he is. Jun, you’re probably the luckiest man on the entire earth.”

Yeonjun chuckles. “I don’t think I am, but thanks, noona. Anyway, now that I’m all ready, it’s your turn.”

“Noona’s going on a date, too?” Taehyun asks, his eyes widening slightly.

“She sure is,” Yeonjun replies proudly. “So, let’s get her all dolled up, Tae. And then maybe we can get you dolled up, too, even though you’re not going on a date. Wait, are you?”

Taehyun giggles, shaking his head. Yeonjun nods, before he and Taehyun start helping Rosé get ready for her date. Unfortunately, they don’t finish before the clock strikes six-thirty, Yeonjun’s alarm that he set up last night going off. 

“God damn it,” he curses, turning off the alarm. “We didn’t get to finish.”

“It’s alright, Jun,” Rosé assures. “Tae will be here to help me.”

“Yeah,” he agrees. “We’ll be fine, hyung.”

“Okay, but I can still help, since Soobin isn’t here-”

As if on cue, the three hear the doorbell ring.

Once it does, though, Yeonjun’s heart drops. He starts to panic, his hands starting to shake. Nervousness grows inside of him, and he feels as if he’s starting to sweat. His breathing starts getting heavier, and he can feel his heart beating rapidly against his chest.

Rosé is quick to notice Yeonjun’s nervousness, getting up. Taehyun lets out a small frown, staying behind Rosé.

“Jun, take deep breaths,” she says softly, grabbing his shoulders. “You’re going to be fine, okay? Soobin’s an amazing guy, and he’ll take care of you. You have nothing to worry about. If something goes wrong, me and the rest are just a phone call away. Calm down for me, yeah?”

Yeonjun nods, starting to feel a bit calmer. Taehyun gets his stuff for him, and he and Rosé walk with Yeonjun down the stairs. They soon arrive in the living room, where the front door is. Soobin rings the doorbell again, since no one has responded in two minutes. 

“You can do this, hyung,” Taehyun whispers.

Yeonjun takes a deep breath, before he opens the front door. Standing on the other side is Soobin, dressed in a white and black long-sleeve button-up tucked into black jeans, a black jacket on top. His raven hair is parted to the side, and there’s light makeup on his face. His eyes widen when he sees how Yeonjun looks, raking his eyes down Yeonjun’s body. Realizing what he’s doing, Soobin quickly looks back up, smiling shyly at Yeonjun.

“H-hi, hyung,” Soobin greets. “Y-you look… Wow.”

Yeonjun giggles. “Thanks, Soobinie. You look ‘wow’, too.”

Soobin smiles, and he hands Yeonjun a single red rose. Yeonjun is a bit surprised, but he grabs it, his heart warming. 

“I-I would’ve gotten you a bouquet, but I know you don’t like flowers that much,” Soobin says. “So I just got you a single rose.”

“Can you get any more perfect, Choi Soobin?” Yeonjun says, not minding that he said it out loud.

Soobin smiles. “I don’t think so. You ready to go?”

Yeonjun nods. He turns, waving bye to Rosé and Taehyun. “Bye, guys!”

“Bye!” the two return.

Yeonjun smiles, and he steps outside of his house. He closes the front door behind him, and Soobin leads him toward his car. Being the gentleman he is, Soobin opens the passenger’s door for Yeonjun, and the older man thanks him, getting inside. Soobin gets in the driver’s side, closing the door behind him. He turns the car on as he and Yeonjun buckle themselves in.

“So, where are you taking me?” Yeonjun asks as Soobin starts driving.

“Somewhere,” he replies.

“That’s boring,” Yeonjun whines. “Come on, you know I don’t like surprises.”

“Yeah, you do, hyung.”

“This is different,” Yeonjun grumbles. “Please? Can you tell me, Soobinie?”

“It has something to do with standing and looking around,” he says.

Yeonjun rolls his eyes. “That can literally be anywhere.”

“I know,” Soobin says smugly.

_ “Soobin.” _

The ravenette laughs. “Just be patient, hyung. I promise you’ll like where I’m taking you.”

“Fine,” Yeonjun sighs.

The two then make light conversation between them, and surprisingly arrive at their destination not even ten minutes later. Soobin parks in an empty spot, and unbuckles himself. Before Yeonjun can get himself out, Soobin jogs to the passenger’s side, and opens the door for him.

“You know, I can open the door myself,” he says, getting out.

“I know, but I prefer doing it for you, hyung,” Soobin says with a smile, closing the door behind Yeonjun.

The older man shakes his head, but he smiles back at Soobin. “Thanks, anyway, Bin.”

The ravenette nods, and he hesitates, before grabbing Yeonjun’s hand, intertwining their fingers together. Yeonjun looks at Soobin in surprise, and Soobin smiles at him, starting to pull him toward the entrance of their destination. Finally looking up, Yeonjun realizes they’re at an  _ arcade _ . But not just any arcade, it’s the one where Soobin and Yeonjun go to have time by themselves. They haven’t gone here in over a month, which warms Yeonjun’s heart.

“Which game do you want to play first, hyung?” Soobin asks. “I think they installed new ones.” Instead of replying, Yeonjun just stares at Soobin with a soft smile. Since he doesn’t get a response, Soobin turns around, raising an eyebrow. He sees Yeonjun staring at him, and a small smile grows on his face. “Hyung, you okay?”

“Yeah,” Yeonjun says. “You’re just so amazing, Soobinie.”

The younger laughs. “Whatever you say, hyung. Do you wanna play first or eat?”

“Play,” Yeonjun replies excitedly, snapping out of his trance. “Get ready for me to beat your ass, Soobin.”

“Bring it on, hyung.”

* * *

“You know what, fuck this shit.”

Yeonjun giggles. “I told you I’d beat you, Soobs.”

The younger rolls his eyes. “I’ve won most of the games we’ve played, hyung.”

“That was  _ me _ , Soobin.”

“Whatever,” he grumbles. “One more game?”

“Soobin, the arcade’s about to close,” Yeonjun chuckles. He checks the clock on the wall nearby. “It’s nearing ten p.m., too.”

“That’s boring,” Soobin frowns. 

Yeonjun rolls his eyes. “Everything’s boring to you.”

“You’re not boring to me, hyung,” Soobin says.

Yeonjun tsks, lightly pushing Soobin, trying to ignore his cheeks heating up. “Sh-shut up.”

Soobin laughs. “Let’s get out of here, then, hyung.”

Soobin takes Yeonjun’s hand again, leading him out of the arcade. For the past three hours and a half, the two had spent it at the arcade. They mostly played games and beat each other, but laughed, joked, ate, and drank with each other as well. There was no awkwardness between them, and they both have enjoyed their time with each other so far.

“How about we go get some ice cream?” Soobin suggests as they walk out of the arcade, the cold night breeze hitting their faces.

Yeonjun slightly shivers. He didn’t expect it to be this cold. “You wanna get ice cream in this cold, Soobin?”

“Ice cream is good, whether the weather is cold or not,” he huffs. 

Yeonjun shakes his head, but he can’t argue with Soobin there. “Let’s go get some ice cream, then.”

Soobin smiles brightly, making Yeonjun smile, too. They walk in the streets of the night toward the nearest ice cream shop, enjoying the silence between them. Although the night is cold, neither of them has a coat or sweater on. Yeonjun didn’t think it was going to be this cold, and Soobin doesn’t get too cold easily, especially since he has a long-sleeve on. Yeonjun does as well, but he gets cold easily. Hence why he’s shaking like a leaf. 

Somehow, Soobin doesn’t notice until he’s about to open the door of the ice cream shop.

“Hyung, are you okay?” he asks worriedly.

“I-I’m fine,” Yeonjun lies. “J-just a bit cold.”

“‘A bit’?” Soobin repeats in disbelief. “Hyung, you’re shaking like a leaf. Do you want to borrow my sweater?”

Yeonjun shakes his head. “N-no. Y-you’re probably going to want to use it.”

“I’m not cold, so I won’t,” Soobin says. “It’s in my car. Can you wait here, so I can go get it?” Yeonjun nods. Soobin is then quick to jog toward his car. Once he arrives, he takes out his keys to unlock the trunk, rummaging through it for his hoodie. He soon finds it, and grabs it, before closing the trunk. He jogs back toward where Yeonjun is, fortunately still seeing him there. “Here you go, hyung.”

“Th-thanks,” he mutters. Yeonjun grabs Soobin’s hoodie from his hands, pulling it on. It’s the same hoodie as the other day, so it reaches down to Yeonjun’s mid-thigh, giving him sweater paws. To Soobin, Yeonjun looks extremely tiny, which makes him coo at Yeonjun.

“Aww, hyung, you look so cute and tiny,” Soobin gushes. 

“I’m not cute,” Yeonjun frowns. “I’m not tiny, either. I’m not that shorter from you, Soobin.”

“That’s not what I meant, hyung,” he laughs. “You look small in my hoodie. You’re basically drowning in it. It looks nice on you.”

“It…does?” Yeonjun wasn’t expecting Soobin to say that. Yeonjun looks down at himself, noticing how the hoodie barely reaches above his knees. The sleeves go way past his fingertips as well, and he can just swing his arm to slap someone across the face with the sleeve. Yeonjun smiles at the thought.

“Yeah,” Soobin says. “You should keep it, hyung.”

Yeonjun looks up at Soobin in surprise. “A-are you sure? I-I don’t want to steal your only hoodie.”

“Hyung, I have plenty of more hoodies,” he assures. “I want you to have this one, too. You look so cute and tiny.”

Yeonjun smiles shyly, his cheeks heating up a bit. Soobin notices, letting out a small chuckle. Finally, he remembers where they are, and opens the door of the ice cream shop, letting Yeonjun walk in first. Yeonjun thanks Soobin, stepping inside. Soobin steps in after him, the door closing behind them. They get served by a worker, and Soobin pays for their ice creams, even though Yeonjun keeps insisting he should. Soobin ignores him, handing the worker his credit card.

“Thank you, and please come by again,” the worker says. “Have a nice night.”

“You, too,” Soobin and Yeonjun return, walking out of the shop. The two have their ice creams: Yeonjun’s is mint chocolate, whilst Soobin’s is plain vanilla.

“You  _ like  _ mint choco, hyung?” he asks with a small frown.

“Yeah,” Yeonjun replies. “Why? You have a problem with it, Choi?”

“No,” Soobin mutters. “It’s just… It tastes like toothpaste.”

Yeonjun gasps. “You take that back.”

“No thanks,” Soobin says. “That’s what you get for always beating me earlier.”

“It’s not my fault I’m better than you.”

“And it’s not my fault mint choco tastes like toothpaste.”

Yeonjun rolls his eyes. “Says you. You have boring vanilla.”

“At least it doesn’t taste like something I use to brush my teeth with.”

Yeonjun rolls his eyes again. “Whatever, Choi.”

Soobin snickers. They continue walking toward his car in silence, eating their ice creams. When they arrive, both their ice creams are eaten already, so Soobin doesn’t have to worry about them making a mess inside his car. He takes out his keys to unlock it, and like always, opens Yeonjun’s door for him. Yeonjun thanks Soobin, getting inside the car. Soobin closes the door behind Yeonjun, and walks toward the driver’s side, getting in.

“Are you taking me somewhere else?” he asks, putting on his seatbelt.

“Do you want me to?” Soobin says, looking at Yeonjun.

The bluenette shrugs. “Up to you.”

“It’s pretty late, so I should probably take you home,” Soobin muses, checking the time on his radio.

Yeonjun groans. “My house is boring. Let’s go to yours.”

“What about Rose-noona?” Soobin questions. “Wouldn’t she be worried?”

“No,” Yeonjun says. “She’s on her own date. Knowing her, she won’t be back until tomorrow morning.”

Soobin chuckles. “Tomorrow we have school, too, hyung.”

“So?” Yeonjun says. “I can borrow your clothes, and I don’t really need my backpack, anyway. Come on, please, Soobs?”

The younger sighs in defeat. “Fine.”

Yeonjun squeals. “Yay! Is anyone home?”

“I think my sister is,” Soobin says.

Yeonjun’s eyes light up. “Really? I’ve been wanting to talk with Ah-In for a while now. I missed her.”

“You’re really attached to her,” Soobin says. 

“No, I’m not,” Yeonjun denies. “She’s just fun to be around.”

Soobin nods. He knows Yeonjun isn’t into girls, so he’d never be into his sister, yet Soobin senses there’s another reason why Yeonjun likes hanging around with his sister. But Soobin shrugs it off, knowing Yeonjun likes making new friends, and is very talkative and gossipy with the new friends he makes.

Around twenty minutes later, Soobin arrives at his house. He pulls up into his garage, and parks the car inside, closing the garage door behind them. Yeonjun lets out a small squeal, unbuckling himself. Soobin doesn’t get the chance to open the door for him, since Yeonjun does it himself. Soobin sighs, getting out of the car as well.

“If you want to talk with Ah-In, she’s upstairs in her room,” he tells Yeonjun.

“I don’t,” he says, surprising Soobin. “I came to spend time with you, Bin. I can always talk with noona later.”

“Are you sure?” he asks. “She’s probably going to be gone soon.”

Yeonjun shrugs. “I’m here for you. Not her.”

Soobin smiles. To his surprise, Yeonjun intertwines their fingers this time, and Soobin leads him inside his house. The downstairs is empty, hence why no one else besides Soobin’s sister is home. Soobin closes the garage door behind them, and looks at Yeonjun.

“Do you want something to drink or something, hyung?” Soobin offers.

Yeonjun shakes his head. “I’m fine. Thanks, Binnie.” The younger nods. Soobin leads Yeonjun upstairs toward his room, and they soon arrive. Soobin turns the light on, and Yeonjun is quick to collapse down on his king-sized bed. Soobin chuckles at Yeonjun, shaking his head. “I forgot how comfy your bed is,” he remarks, almost moaning at the soft mattress underneath him.

“It’s not that soft, hyung,” Soobin says. “You wanna watch a movie?”

“Ooh, can we make popcorn, then?” Yeonjun asks, his eyes lighting up.

Soobin nods. Yeonjun is quick to get off his bed, running down the stairs. Soobin smiles at Yeonjun’s excitement, following after him. When he arrives in the kitchen, Soobin sees Yeonjun placing the popcorn bag in the microwave, closing the door after, and pressing the ‘POPCORN’ button on the microwave. The popcorn starts cooking in it, and Yeonjun turns once he hears Soobin’s footsteps.

“Do you have juice in here, Binnie?” Yeonjun says.

“Um, I think so,” Soobin replies, breaking out of his trance. He was staring at Yeonjun for too long.

Soobin rummages through the cupboards until he finds a gallon of grape juice. He takes it out, knowing the juice is courtesy of Hueningkai. Soobin takes out two cups, and pours the juice in them. As he turns to give Yeonjun his cup, Soobin almost bumps into him, making their chests touch and both of them stumble.

“Oh, sorry, hyung,” Soobin apologizes. “Here’s your cup.”

“Thanks,” Yeonjun mutters. He grabs his cup of juice, before looking back up at Soobin. The younger looks back at him, and neither of them say anything. To both of their surprise, Soobin is the first one to move. He places down the gallon of juice and his cup, before wrapping an arm around Yeonjun’s waist, pulling him closer, before slamming their lips together. Yeonjun almost lets out a moan, having missed the feeling of Soobin’s lips against his. He wraps his arms around Soobin’s neck, and Soobin wraps his other arm around Yeonjun’s waist. 

Their kiss starts getting heavier, and Soobin picks up Yeonjun, wrapping the older’s legs around his waist. Soobin carries Yeonjun toward the nearest wall, pushing him up against it, which makes Yeonjun’s shirt ride up in the back. Soobin’s hands explore the naked skin that is exposed, and Yeonjun shivers at the feeling of Soobin’s cold hands against his warm skin.

Yeonjun’s hands travel up Soobin’s neck, until they reach his soft raven locks, and he tugs on them. Soobin lets out a low growl, which makes Yeonjun let out a small whimper. Soobin bites on Yeonjun’s bottom lip, tugging it. Yeonjun gets the message, and he opens his mouth to let Soobin’s tongue in. Their tongues battle for dominance, and eventually Soobin wins. He sucks and bites on Yeonjun’s tongue, making Yeonjun moan. 

Although they want it to last more, Soobin and Yeonjun pull away from their kiss, a string of saliva being the only thing connecting their lips. Soobin looks away from the string to look at Yeonjun’s eyes, and Yeonjun looks back at him. Looking down at Yeonjun’s lips, Soobin notices they’re red, swollen, and plumper than they already are. Soobin stares, running his thumb across Yeonjun’s plush bottom lip. Yeonjun is brave enough to engulf Soobin’s finger in his mouth, softly sucking on it. Soobin looks up at Yeonjun, and the older smiles at him with his finger still in his mouth.

“You sure are crazy, hyung,” Soobin whispers.

Yeonjun winks, and Soobin takes his finger out. “Only for you, Soobs.”


	13. Messy

As he promised, Yeonjun ends up staying the night at Soobin’s house. They managed to get one movie in, before Yeonjun started feeling sleepy. Soobin coaxed him into getting up, leading him toward the bathroom to brush his teeth. Yeonjun did, but immediately climbed back onto Soobin’s bed after. Yeonjun fell asleep in Soobin’s hoodie, on Soobin’s bed, and in Soobin’s arms, which couldn’t make him happier.

Now, it’s the next morning, and Soobin is the first one to wake up between them. He still has his arms around Yeonjun, and the older is still sleeping, his cheeks puffed out, his plush lips in a small pout. Soobin smiles, thinking Yeonjun looks adorable. If it’s even possible, Soobin falls more in love with Yeonjun, holding him tighter. 

If only Soobin was brave enough to ask Yeonjun to be his boyfriend last night.

To his defense, though, Soobin did try. After they finished kissing, they stared at each other, and Soobin opened his mouth to pop the question, but the microwave started beeping, indicating the popcorn was done. Yeonjun’s eyes had lit up, and Soobin had to let him down, so he could grab the popcorn. After that, Soobin didn’t try again.

Curse his shyness.

Yawning, Soobin carefully unwraps one of his arms from Yeonjun, stretching it. As he does so, his eyes drift to the clock he has on his wall, reading the time; 6:46. Soobin’s glad he doesn’t have a student council or football meeting to go to today, or else he would’ve been late.

Although he tried not to wake up Yeonjun, once Soobin gets off his bed quietly, the blue-haired male doesn’t take long to wake up after him. His eyes slowly flutter open, and they land on Soobin. The raven-haired male smiles at his hyung, and Yeonjun can’t help but smile back.

“Morning, hyung,” Soobin greets.

“M-morning,” Yeonjun returns, yawning. “W-what time is it?”

“It’s almost six-fifty,” Soobin replies. “Do you want to shower, hyung?”

“Yeah, but I don’t have my clothes with me,” Yeonjun says with a small pout.

“You can borrow mine,” Soobin assures.

Yeonjun’s eyes light up, and he stands up immediately. “Okay, then!”

Soobin chuckles. He knows Yeonjun by now, so he grabs another hoodie and a pair of sweatpants from his closet. He hands them to Yeonjun, and the older man excitedly grabs them.

“Is it alright if I use your shower stuff, too?” he asks.

Soobin nods. “Sure, hyung. I’ll meet you downstairs.”

Yeonjun nods this time, and heads toward the bathroom. Unlike Yeonjun, Soobin showered last night. Since Yeonjun protested that he wouldn’t sleep until he cuddled with Soobin, the ravenette had to shower after Yeonjun fell asleep. Fortunately, Yeonjun didn’t wake up when Soobin pulled away, or when he got off the bed.

Soobin smiles at Yeonjun, grabbing his bag. He walks out of his room and downstairs, heading toward the kitchen. Once he arrives, he’s a bit surprised to see his mom and sister, both of them eating breakfast. 

“Morning, mom,” he greets. “Ah-In-noona.”

“Soobin,” she says, giving him a look.

Their mom rolls her eyes at them. “Morning, honey. I see you brought your ‘friend’ over last night.”

Soobin’s cheeks heat up, and he tries to hide them by grabbing a bowl from the cabinets. “I-I did.”

“Speaking of which, how did your date go?” Ah-In questions.

“It went fine,” Soobin replies, not wanting to give too much detail.

“‘Fine’?” his mom repeats in disbelief. “Choi Soobin, give us more information. ‘Fine’ is not enough.”

“What do you want me to say, mom?” he chuckles. “We went on our date, and we had a nice time. I took him to an arcade, we got ice cream, and we came here. He didn’t want to go back to his house yet, so he spent the night here.”

“Did you guys…?” Ah-In makes an ‘OK’ sign with her left hand, and inserts her right index finger through the small hole the sign makes. In conclusion, she’s indicating if Soobin and Yeonjun had sex last night.

“Noona!” Soobin exclaims, his cheeks burning by now. 

“What?” Ah-In says innocently. “I’m just asking.”

“Yeah, she’s just asking,” their mom agrees. “So, tell us, Soobin.”

The youngest rolls his eyes. “No, we didn’t have…sex.”

“That’s boring,” Ah-In frowns. “Usually, on a first date, people have sex. Especially teenagers.”

“Speaking of which, I’m surprised you even went on a date,” their mom says. “Aren’t you still…?”

“Mom, can we not?” Soobin says with a small frown.

His mom nods. “R-right. I’m sorry, honey.”

Soobin nods this time. He serves himself some cereal, before grabbing the milk from the fridge. As he serves the milk into his cereal and bowl, he, his mom, and Ah-In hear footsteps coming down the stairs. Looking up, the three see Yeonjun, his blue hair damp, his face makeup-free, and wearing Soobin’s clothes, which makes his body drown in them. Soobin’s hoodie reaches down to his mid-thigh, like always, giving him sweater paws, and Yeonjun had to tie the drawstrings of the sweatpants really tight, so they wouldn’t fall off.

“Yeonjun, very nice to see you again,” Soobin’s mom says with a small smile.

Yeonjun’s eyes widen, seeming to have forgotten that Soobin still lives with his parents. Yeonjun looks up, smiling a bit nervously at Soobin’s mom.

“M-morning, Mrs. Choi,” he greets, bowing. Yeonjun’s eyes land on Ah-In, and he smiles and bows at her as well. “Morning to you, too, noona.”

“Morning, Yeonjun,” she returns. “I’m glad to see Soobin let you borrow his clothes.”

“Yeah, I didn’t bring any with me last night,” Yeonjun says, walking into the kitchen.

“You and I need to talk, Yeonjun,” Ah-In says. “I have  _ so  _ many things I need to tell you.”

Yeonjun giggles. “I’m sure we can hang out this sometime this week, noona.”

“How about I pick you up today after school?” Ah-In suggests. 

Yeonjun is a bit surprised, but he hesitantly nods. “Um, sure.”

Ah-In smiles. “Good.”

“Do you want some breakfast, hyung?” Soobin offers.

“Yeah,” Yeonjun replies. “I’m starving.”

Soobin nods, and he slides off his chair to serve Yeonjun some cereal. Yeonjun wants to help, but knows Soobin won’t let him, so he sits down next to Ah-In. Surprisingly, the older female starts talking to him about something, and Yeonjun listens, nodding at times. Soobin soon places a bowl of cereal in front of him, and Yeonjun thanks him. He continues listening to Ah-In, before an alarm goes off, surprising the four of them.

“Damn it,” she curses. 

“Is everything okay, noona?” Yeonjun asks.

“I need to leave for work,” Ah-In sighs. She slides off her chair, shouldering her bag. She kisses her mom on the cheek, before glaring at Soobin, and smiling at Yeonjun. “Goodbye, everyone. I’ll see you later, Yeonjun.”

The bluenette nods, and Ah-In walks out of her house, closing the door behind her. Yeonjun returns to his cereal, continuing to finish it.

“Seems like Ah-In likes you, Yeonjun,” her mom muses. “She hasn’t been that attached to someone ever since…” Soobin’s mom stops herself from saying any more, and Yeonjun looks at her in confusion.

“Ever since what, Mrs. Choi?” he asks.

Soobin’s mom smiles nervously. “N-never mind. I need to go to work now. B-bye, kiddos.”

“Bye, Mrs. Choi,” Yeonjun says with a small smile. Soobin doesn’t say anything.

Soobin’s mom smiles at her son and Yeonjun, before leaving the house, closing the door behind her. Soobin and Yeonjun are now left alone, and Soobin sighs, getting up to place his plate in the sink.

“Soobin, is your mom okay?” Yeonjun questions. “What did she mean?”

“She was just rambling, Yeonjun-hyung,” Soobin mutters.

Yeonjun’s eyes slightly widen. Soobin only calls him ‘hyung’ because of respect. He’s only called Yeonjun by his full name and ‘hyung’ when he’s mad, and that’s only been once, which was when Yeonjun pegged on too far about his past relationship when they first met. Ever since, Soobin never called him that. But this time, Yeonjun didn’t do anything to make Soobin mad. Maybe he’s just over-sensitive.

Yeonjun sighs, looking back down at his cereal. “If you say so, then.”

Soobin sighs this time, and he turns to look at Yeonjun. “Sorry, hyung. I didn’t mean to come out as harsh. I just…”

“Don’t want to talk about it,” he finishes. “It’s fine, Soobin. I understand.”

“Are you sure?” he frowns. “You seem a bit annoyed.”

“I’m sure, Soobin,” Yeonjun says with a smile. “I shouldn’t be in your business unless you want me to.”

Soobin nods. “I’ll tell you soon, hyung. Just give me time.”

“You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to, Bin,” Yeonjun assures. “I don’t want to force you into telling me anything.”

Soobin nods again. As if it’s his apology, he walks over toward Yeonjun, and grabs his chin softly with his hand, tilting it, so they can lock eyes. Yeonjun looks at him in confusion, but Soobin leans down to press their lips together. Yeonjun’s eyes widen, but he soon melts, kissing Soobin back. Yeonjun places his hand on Soobin’s nape, pulling him closer. Yeonjun stands up to make it easier for Soobin, and the younger places one hand on the small of Yeonjun’s back, whilst the other one remains on Yeonjun’s chin. 

Unlike last night, their kiss this time is sweet, chaste, and passionate; full of love. They kiss each other slowly and softly, taking their time. There’s no lust behind it, and eventually, when they run out of air, they softly pull away. Their eyes meet, and they smile at each other. 

_ Now’s the time, Soobin _ , he tells himself.  _ Ask hyung to be your boyfriend. Do it. _

But the words never come out. Soobin doesn’t even open his mouth. He curses himself, and lets go of Yeonjun. Confused, the bluenette does the same, but Soobin smiles at him.

“I-I’ma go brush my teeth, and get ready, so we can leave,” Soobin says. “You can do the same if you want to, hyung.”

Yeonjun nods. Soobin smiles at him, before leaving to head to the stairs to go up to his room.

_ Why are you so stupid, Choi? _

* * *

Around thirty minutes later, Soobin and Yeonjun pull up into their school. They left Soobin's house around twenty minutes ago, and now it’s seven-thirty, which means thirty more minutes until their first class starts.

“Do you have a student council or football meeting today?” Yeonjun asks as Soobin parks into an empty parking spot in the school’s parking lot.

“No, but I still need to talk with…the principal,” he replies slowly.

At the mention of his father, Yeonjun tenses up. The memories of what happened on Friday start running through his mind, and Soobin must’ve noticed, since he grabs Yeonjun’s hand, squeezing it to bring Yeonjun back to reality.

“Hyung, snap out of it,” Soobin says. “You’re not back there anymore. You’re here, and away from  _ her _ . Don’t think about her. Just concentrate on…me, okay? Can you do that for me, kitten?”

Neither Soobin nor Yeonjun expected the nickname to come out of Soobin’s lips, but it did. Oddly enough, Yeonjun feels comforted by the nickname, and he nods, starting to calm down. Eventually, his heavy breathing goes away, and he remembers where he is: he’s safe, and away from his mother, just like Soobin promised he is.

“Good,” Soobin praises softly. “Good job, kitten. Just hold onto my hand, okay?”

Yeonjun nods, but he doesn’t grab onto Soobin’s hand yet. He gets out of the car first, and they meet by the front of it. Soobin is the one to intertwine their fingers this time, and he presses a soft kiss on Yeonjun’s knuckles. Yeonjun smiles, his heart fluttering. They start walking toward the entrance of the school, hand in hand. A few students who pass by stare at them in shock, not being able to believe that  _ Choi Soobin _ , the quarterback of the football team and president of the student council, is now ‘dating’  _ Choi Yeonjun _ , the son of the principal. 

Soobin and Yeonjun ignore them, though. Their focus is only on each other. They’re heading toward where Beomgyu and Hueningkai (now taehyun, too) are, so Yeonjun can get distracted by them, whilst Soobin talks with the principal. 

(aka yeonjun’s dad.)

Once they arrive where the youngsters are, their eyes are on them. Beomgyu opens his mouth to probably greet them, but then they notice Soobin’s and Yeonjun’s hands intertwined. Their mouths drop, and they stare at the older two in shock.

_ “You guys are  _ dating _?!” _

Soobin chuckles. “Well, not yet. I still haven’t…you know…”

“Oh my god, hyung, you are such a wuss,” Beomgyu says, smacking his forehead. “You should learn from me. You should’ve asked hyung to be your boyfriend on your guys’ date.”

“Shut up, Beom,” Soobin chuckles. “Um, I’ll be back. I need to do a few things.”

“Like what, hyung?” Taehyun asks.

“Student council things,” Soobin replies. “I have to talk with…” He motions toward Yeonjun, and the younger three seem to get it, nodding. “I’ll be back, but I don’t know when.”

“Good luck, then, hyung,” Kai bids.

Soobin smiles. “Thanks, Hyuka. Bye, everyone. Bye, kitten.” He places a soft kiss on Yeonjun’s temple, before walking away, smiling at the blush he left on Yeonjun’s cheeks.

_ “Oh. My. God. He called you  _ kitten _!!!” _

“You guys have  _ nicknames  _ for each other now?” Beomgyu questions in disbelief.

“H-he does,” Yeonjun says shyly. “I-I only call him Soobinie, Bin, Binnie, or Soobs.”

“Hyung, those are nicknames, too,” Taehyun chuckles. He turns toward Beomgyu, his eyes lighting up. “Hey, why don’t  _ we  _ have nicknames for each other, too, hyung?”

“Ugh, not you two, too,” Hueningkai groans. “Now I have  _ two  _ disgusting couples to deal with.”

“Technically, Kai, Soobs and I aren’t a couple yet,” Yeonjun reminds.

“Why don’t you ask him to be your boyfriend, then?” Beomgyu says pointedly. “He already asked you out on a date. Now it’s your turn, hyung.”

“Maybe I will,” Yeonjun says. 

“So, are you going to tell Joy-noona?” Taehyun inquires. “She owes you your a hundred dollars now.”

“Right,” Yeonjun says. “Have any of you seen her?”

Before Beomgyu, Taehyun, or Hueningkai can reply, they hear footsteps coming toward them. They look away from each other to look behind Yeonjun, noticing a familiar raven-haired female heading toward them. Today she’s dressed in a black floral long-sleeve blouse tucked into blue denim ripped jeans. She has makeup on, and her hair is straightened, which makes Yeonjun wonder why she’s dressed so nicely.

“Speak of the devil,” he mutters under his breath.

“Am I glad to see all of you here,” Joy says. “Yeonjun, we haven’t seen each other in a while.”

“Yeah,” he says. “What are you doing here, noona? Why are you dressed so nicely, too?”

“Well, I haven’t noticed any progress in your side of the bet,” Joy says with a small smirk on her face. “Which means you lost, Yeonjun. I need to look nice if I’m going to ask Soobin out.”

Yeonjun laughs. Joy’s smirk vanishes from her face, and she looks at Yeonjun with an eyebrow raised.

“What are you laughing at, Choi?”

“A-at the fact that you think I lost,” he explains, giggling. “Honey, I didn’t lose. I  _ won.” _

Joy’s eyes widen. “W-what?! H-how?”

“There’s this thing called being Choi Yeonjun,” he says with a small wink.  _ “I  _ won the bet, Soo-young.  _ I  _ made Choi Soobin fall in love with me, so  _ I won  _ the bet. And I think now’s the time you give me my a hundred dollars.”

“You…betted against me?”

At the voice, Yeonjun freezes. Every fiber and cell does inside of him, and he feels his heart drop. Shit, he shouldn’t have been too confident. He squeezes his eyes shut, his hands clenching by his sides. He hears Kai let out a gasp, and Yeonjun knows that’s a confirmation that, indeed,  _ Soobin  _ is behind him.

Slowly turning around, Yeonjun meets eyes with Soobin. The younger’s eyes are filled with sadness, and he looks betrayed. There’s a frown on his face, and Yeonjun can see tears welling up in Soobin’s eyes. Yeonjun’s heart breaks at the sight.

“S-Soobin…” he says softly. Yeonjun takes a step toward him, but Soobin takes a step back.

“D-don’t,” he says, his voice cracking. “Y-you made it pretty clear I’m just a ‘bet’ and a dollar sign for you, hyung. I-I should’ve known. I-it was too good to be true, anyway. I-I’m sorry, hyung. I-I won’t be in your way anymore.”

Tears fall out of Soobin’s eyes, but he wipes them away. They keep coming, though. He sniffles, and turns to walk away. Yeonjun wants to go after him, but he’s frozen in his sight. He hears Beomgyu and Hueningkai sigh, before going after Soobin. Yeonjun feels all eyes on him, which makes sense, since there’s a crowd forming around him. Glancing at Joy, he sees the female smirking, her arms crossed. He bites his bottom lip, knowing he messed up pretty badly.

_ Fuck, what did I do? _


	14. Gone

_ “I don’t know what happened, but damn, do I feel bad for Soobin.” _

_ “Mr. Choi’s son is such a prick. Soobin doesn’t deserve someone like him.” _

_ “Poor Soobin. I hope he’s doing okay.” _

More hurtful words about Yeonjun and comforting ones about Soobin continue as Yeonjun walks down the hallway. He has his head down, so no one recognizes him, but that doesn’t mean the words don’t sting him in the worst way possible. He knows he’s stupid, a fucking idiot, heartless, and selfish for nothing thinking about Soobin’s feelings, how Soobin would feel, when he took on the bet. Yeonjun was stupid to do it with Joy, and god, does he regret it now.

Speaking of Joy, the raven-haired female is making it her mission to find Soobin. If Yeonjun couldn’t find him, then Joy won’t have better luck. After Soobin ran away, and he snapped out of his shock, Yeonjun went running after the way he saw Beomgyu and Hueningkai go, since they were following Soobin. But after a minute, Yeonjun couldn’t find the three anywhere. He searched the whole school until the bell rang, indicating the beginning of first period. He didn’t want to be late, because then he’d be sent to the office, which meant he’d probably see his father, and that’s the last thing Yeonjun wants.

Why does life have to be so unfair?

Fortunately, now it’s time for Yeonjun’s second period, which means he’s going to see Rosé. He texted his cousin to tell her he was going to be at Soobin’s, and she assured him it was okay. She stayed over at Jisoo’s, but this time, she came back home around six a.m., so she’s here.

Stepping into the physics classroom, Yeonjun is glad to see no one inside yet. He only notices Rosé, and quickly heads toward her.

“N-noona,” he says, his voice cracking.

Immediately, Rosé looks up. She notices Yeonjun’s red and puffy eyes, so she knows this is bad. She quickly closes and locks her door, notifying her students that they can’t come in yet. She turns back to Yeonjun, and doesn’t say anything; she opens her arms instead. Yeonjun lets Rosé engulf him in her arms, and he starts sobbing, weakly clenching the fabric of her blouse. Rosé rubs his back comfortingly, holding him tightly.

Although she doesn’t want to break the silence, Rosé knows they can’t stay like this forever. She has a class to teach, and if she doesn’t, she’ll get fired, or at least in trouble. She pulls away softly, softly grabbing Yeonjun’s chin, so they can look at each other in the eye.

“What happened, Jun?” she asks softly.

“C-can I go home?” Yeonjun says, instead of replying to Rosé’s question.

“Sweetie, what’s wrong?” she says with a small frown.

Yeonjun holds back a sob. “S-Soobin…”

Instantly, Rosé knows what Yeonjun’s talking about. She’s heard what the students here are talking about, especially since they’re talking about her cousin. At first, she didn’t believe it, but now that Yeonjun is sobbing and vulnerable in her arms, she believes it now.

“You want to go home, then?” she says.

Yeonjun meekly nods. “P-please.”

“Okay, sweetie,” Rosé says. She lets go of Yeonjun to grab her spare car keys from her desk. She hands them to Yeonjun, wiping his tears away. “Be safe, okay? I’ll try to be home as quickly as I can.”

Yeonjun nods. “Th-thanks, noona.”

“Try to fix things, Yeonjun,” Rosé says, a bit sternly. “Make Soobin know you’re not like that.”

“W-what if he won’t listen to me?” Yeonjun frowns.

“That’s why you’re going to try your hardest,” Rosé says. “You can do it, Yeonjun. I think Soobin would like to hear an explanation.”

Yeonjun holds back a pile of complaints, and only nods. He quietly thanks Rosé, before walking out of her classroom. He hangs his head low, so the students outside don’t recognize them, and speed walks toward the school’s parking lot. He, fortunately, sees Rosé’s car soon, and unlocks it to get inside. He closes the door behind him, locking all the doors. He’s glad the windows are tinted, so no one recognizes him. 

As he turns on the car, Yeonjun’s first instinct is to go to Soobin’s house.

He just hopes Soobin will hear him out and believe him.

* * *

After twenty minutes, Yeonjun arrives. He parks outside Soobin’s house, and turns off Rosé’s car. He takes a deep breath, before getting out of the vehicle. He stares at Soobin’s house, not believing he’s about to do this. He takes another deep breath, before starting to walk toward the front porch. Once he’s there, he hesitates, before ringing the doorbell.

It takes a few seconds, but the door soon opens. To Yeonjun’s dismay, Soobin’s dad opens the door.

“Yeonjun?” he says, confused.

(yeonjun’s surprised that soobin’s dad even remembers his name.)

“What are you doing here?”

“H-hi, Mr. Choi,” he greets, gulping. “I-is Soobin here?”

“No,” his dad replies, his eyes narrowing. “He’s supposed to be at school. And so are you, Yeonjun.”

The blue-haired male curses under his breath. “R-right. S-sorry, Mr. Choi. Th-thanks, anyway.”

“Yeonjun, is everything okay?” he asks, before the younger can walk away.

“E-everything’s fine,” he lies. “S-sorry for bothering you.”

Soobin’s dad stares at Yeonjun weirdly, but Yeonjun is quick to turn around, walking toward Rosé’s car. He gets in, and turns it on again, putting on his seatbelt. As he shifts the gear to drive, he hopes Soobin is still at school, because if he’s not, then Yeonjun doesn’t know where else to look.

* * *

Luckily, after Yeonjun parks Rosé’s car in the school’s parking lot, gets out, and runs inside the school, he almost bumps into Beomgyu. It seems as if the raven-haired male is walking back to his second class finally, since Yeonjun didn’t see him anywhere earlier during the passing of their first period.

“Beom,” Yeonjun says, relieved. “Am I glad to see you.”

“Hyung, don’t,” Beomgyu says with a small frown. 

“What?” 

“Leave Soobin-hyung alone,” Beomgyu says. “Don’t look for him. Hell, in fact, don’t even go one  _ inch  _ near him. We both know it’s for the best, hyung.”

“How is it for the best, Beomgyu?” Yeonjun demands, almost snapping at the younger. “Soobin thinks I was just using him.”

“You kinda were,” he says pointedly. “Before today happened, you were all proud and smug that you were going to win. You didn’t even give Soobin-hyung’s feelings a thought, despite knowing how tough his relationship with love is. Soobin-hyung decided to give  _ you  _ a chance, and you betray him like this, Yeonjun? Just leave him alone. He doesn’t need another heartbreak from you.”

“Beomgyu, I’m not going to do that,” he says. “I’m trying to fix things right now. If you could just-”

“I’m not going to do anything,” Beomgyu interrupts, a bit harshly. “This is  _ your  _ mess, so you have to clean it up yourself. We told you not to do the bet, and you ignored us. Well, look where it took you. You’re alone on this, hyung.” 

Beomgyu doesn’t give Yeonjun a chance to reply, already starting to walk away. Yeonjun stares after Beomgyu with a small frown, finally accepting the fact that maybe this  _ is  _ his fault. He sighs, running his hands through his blue hair.

Despite what Beomgyu said, Yeonjun starts his search for Soobin.

* * *

Somehow, Yeonjun manages not to get caught by a teacher or anyone in the school staff whilst he looks for Soobin. He’s glad, but at the same time, he isn’t. Yeonjun doesn’t find Soobin  _ anywhere _ , no matter how loud he calls his name out, or how hard he looks for him. Yeonjun doesn’t find Kai, either, so he can’t ask him for help. Now, Yeonjun doubts if Soobin was even here at their school in their first place.

And, as if things couldn’t get any worse, Yeonjun just happens to run into the last female he wants to see.

“Oh, Yeonjun,” she says with a small smug smile, “didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Leave me alone, Soo-young,” Yeonjun sighs. “I don’t want to talk with you.”

“I still need to give you your a hundred dollars,” Joy reminds. “Oh, wait. Never mind. I don’t have to, since you technically lost the bet. Guess Soobin isn’t in love with you anymore, is he?”

Yeonjun glares at Joy. “What do you know?”

“Mostly everything,” she says with a small shrug. “I know he rescued you from your parents’ drama, I know you’ve met his family, I know you guys went on your first date yesterday, I know you guys had your first kiss a few days ago, and I know you were  _ this  _ close to asking Soobin to be your boyfriend, before you ruined everything.”

“Before  _ I  _ ruined everything?” Yeonjun scowls. “More like  _ you  _ ruined everything, Soo-young. I should’ve never done the stupid bet with you.”

Joy laughs. “And to think you were so excited about it in the first place. Good times, right?”

Yeonjun exhales angrily. “Is that all?”

“No,” Joy replies. “I’m surprised you’re not surprised that I know all these things about you and Soobin.”

Yeonjun looks at Joy in confusion. “What things?”

“Oh, you know, the things I said earlier.”

Yeonjun raises an eyebrow, wondering what Joy means. But then he remembers what she said earlier: knowing about Friday, meeting Soobin’s family, going on a date with him yesterday, kissing him on his bed just a few days ago, and being  _ this  _ close to asking Soobin to be his boyfriend.

How does Joy know all this, though?

Soobin’s and Yeonjun’s first kiss happened a  _ day  _ before Joy was a new student at their school.

“What the fuck, Soo-young?” Yeonjun scoffs. “How do you know all this?”

Joy shrugs. “I have my ways. Remember, honey, the bet is still on. May the best one win.”

“The bet’s  _ off _ , Soo-young,” Yeonjun snaps. “I don’t want to do it anymore.”

“What happened to confident Yeonjun?” Joy asks innocently, tilting her head to the side. 

“He’s not gone, but I don’t want to do a stupid bet with you anymore,” he scowls. “Find someone else to play around with. I’m done, Soo-young.” Yeonjun glares at her, and starts to walk away, but he feels someone’s hand wrap around his elbow. He looks down at it, seeing Joy’s manicured nails digging into his skin. “Let me go, Park.”

“You’re not leaving, Choi,” she says. “You’re coming with me.”

Yeonjun scoffs, snatching his arm away harshly, which makes Joy’s nails leave scratch marks behind. He decides to worry about them later.

“The hell I am,” he snarls. “I’d rather go to hell than ever go anywhere with you.”

Joy laughs. “Fine. I guess I’ll have Soobinie to myself, then.”

“He’s not here, Soo-young,” Yeonjun grumbles.

“Who says?” she says, raising an eyebrow. “He’s right here with me. Well, not  _ with  _ me, per se, but he’s being held captive at my house right now. He’ll be with me soon, though.”

“W-what?”

Joy giggles. “You didn’t know? The only reason Soobin isn’t here, Yeonjun, is because I took him. I took advantage of his vulnerable state, and his dumbass followed me to my car where I hit him, and took him somewhere. He’s being held captive now. But I guess you don’t want to see him, since you pulled away. Oh, well, then. Maybe next time.”

“Park Soo-young, you leave Soobin the fuck alone,” Yeonjun growls.

Joy smirks. “Too late for that, sweetheart. See you later.”

Yeonjun starts to go after Joy, but she turns around sharply, glaring at him. 

“Take one more step closer to me, and Soobin’s dead.”

Yeonjun feels his heart drop. “W-what?”

“I’m watching you 24/7, Choi Yeonjun,” Joy says. “You dare call the police, tell someone, or even  _ mention  _ Soobin’s name, he’s dead. It’ll be his blood on  _ your  _ hands, got that? Keep your mouth shut, and  _ maybe  _ Soobinie will stay alive.”

“Why the fuck are you doing this?” Yeonjun demands. “Leave him alone.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll return him in time for the winter dance,” Joy says, rolling her eyes. “It’s in two weeks, anyway. Oh, that reminds me, Soobin’s birthday passed. I should get him something.”

“Soo-young-”

“Remember what I told you, Choi,” she says. “Or else, bye-bye, Soobin.” Joy smirks at Yeonjun one last time, before she turns to walk away. Just like earlier, Yeonjun stays frozen in his spot, mostly in fear that something will happen to Soobin, and that it'll be his fault.


	15. Psycho

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title: "psycho" by red velvet

_ Soobin smiles. “Thanks, Hyuka. Bye, everyone. Bye, kitten.” He places a soft kiss on Yeonjun’s temple, before walking away, smiling at the blush he left on Yeonjun’s cheeks. _

As he walks away, Soobin hears Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai squeal about the fact that Soobin called Yeonjun  _ kitten _ , especially in front of them. Soobin chuckles to himself, continuing to walk toward the principal’s office. On his way, he notices Soo-young, a.k.a. Joy, and the two lock eyes, since she notices him as well. He smiles at her, but Joy smiles flirtatiously, twirling a strand of her raven hair around her finger. She also looks Soobin up and down, before looking him in the eye.

Although he’s confused as to why Joy is looking at him like that, Soobin continues walking. He doesn’t know (nor care) where Joy arrives, and nears the office. He walks inside, and smiles at the secretary.

“Is Mr. Choi here?” he asks.

“Yeah,” the secretary replies. “You can head inside his office, Soobin.”

“Thanks,” he says, before walking toward the principal’s office. Once Soobin arrives outside, he knocks on the door.

“Come in,” Mr. Choi allows. Soobin pushes the door open, seeing Mr. Choi sitting at his desk. Mr. Choi looks up, and his eyes widen when he recognizes Soobin. Mr. Choi immediately stands up, almost knocking his chair over. “S-Soobin.”

“Hi,” he greets. “Um, are you busy, Mr. Choi? We need to talk about the dance, but we could always do it later.”

“N-no, I’m free,” he assures, clearing his throat. “H-have you seen Yeonjun?”

At the mention of the blue-haired male, Soobin remembers what happened on Friday to Yeonjun. Soobin knows it isn’t the older’s father’s fault what happened, but he still feels some type of hatred toward Yeonjun’s father. Snapping out of it, Soobin finally nods.

“I-I’ve been with him all week so far, Mr. Choi,” he says. “May I sit down?”

Mr. Choi nods. Soobin sits down on one of the chairs in front of Mr. Choi’s desk. 

“H-how is he doing?” he continues. “I-I’ve been meaning to ask him myself, but I can’t find him anywhere.”

“I’m sure you’ll find him later today,” Soobin says, making a mental note to himself to bring Yeonjun to the office after school. “C-can we talk about the dance now, Mr. Choi?”

“Y-yes, of course,” he replies, forgetting why Soobin originally came here. “Go right ahead, Soobin.”

The raven-haired male smiles in thanks, before he starts talking.

* * *

“I think I’ll be able to hire a team to help you guys,” Mr. Choi muses. “How many people will you guys need?”

“Maybe around three or four,” Soobin says. “There’re already eight of in the council, so there are enough people.”

Mr. Choi nods. “Is that all, then?”

“Yes, Mr. Choi,” Soobin answers, getting up. “Thank you for your time.”

“Of course,” Mr. Choi says. “Good luck with your classes today, Soobin.”

“Thanks, Mr. Choi,” he says with a small smile. The two bow to each other, before Soobin walks out of Mr. Choi’s office. Surprisingly, Mr. Choi didn’t ask any questions about Yeonjun after they got to business, which makes Soobin relieved, because he didn’t want to talk to Mr. Choi about Yeonjun, since the two can talk with each other instead.

Soobin sighs, sending a message to his student council group chat, arranging a meeting for them later today after school. He pockets his phone after a few of the members reply, and heads back toward the field.

If you haven’t noticed, Soobin is happy today. He woke up with Yeonjun in his arms, they kissed this morning, Soobin created a new nickname for Yeonjun, and the principal accepted all of his requests for the dance. Because of all this, Soobin feels like today is his day. Nothing’s going to go wrong today, and he’s going to finally ask Yeonjun to be his boyfriend. He can’t back out, either.

However, all those plans and feelings go down the drain once Soobin arrives where the others are. Joy is surprisingly with them, but Soobin doesn’t pay that much attention to her. He pays attention to what Yeonjun said instead:

_ “ _ I _ won the bet, Soo-young. I made Choi Soobin fall in love with me, so I won the bet. And I think now’s the time you give me my a hundred dollars.” _

Soobin feels his heart drop. All this time, when he thought Yeonjun actually cared, loved, and had feelings for him, he’s been a  _ bet  _ and  _ dollar sign _ for him? 

Soobin can feel tears burning in his eyes and blurring his vision, but he blinks them back.

“You…betted against me?”

At his voice, Soobin notices Yeonjun freezing in his spot. Soobin hears Kai let out a gasp, seeming to barely realize Soobin joined them. Yeonjun slowly turns around, and he and Soobin lock eyes. Soobin’s are filled with sadness, and he feels betrayed. A frown forms on his face, and Soobin is sure the tears in his eyes are visible to everyone, especially Yeonjun. 

“S-Soobin…” he says softly. Yeonjun takes a step toward Soobin, but he takes a step back, not wanting to be even an  _ inch  _ near Yeonjun. 

“D-don’t,” Soobin says, his voice accidentally cracking. “Y-you made it pretty clear I’m just a ‘bet’ and a dollar sign for you, hyung. I-I should’ve known. I-it was too good to be true, anyway. I-I’m sorry, hyung. I-I won’t be in your way anymore.”

Everything that happened with Yeonjun, and Yeonjun himself, _was_ too good to be true. Soobin knew he shouldn’t have fallen in love too quickly, especially because of what happened almost four years ago. Everyone’s the same, but Yeonjun’s  _ worse _ .

Soobin doesn’t know what he saw in Yeonjun in the first place.

Tears finally fall out of Soobin’s eyes, but he wipes them away, not wanting to seem weak in front of everyone. However, the tears keep coming, and Soobin doesn’t do anything to stop them this time. He sniffles, and turns to walk away. He doesn’t want anyone to come after him, since he wants to be alone, but he doesn’t do anything when Beomgyu and Hueningkai soon join him.

Soobin drowns out Beomgyu’s and Kai’s voices, and everyone else’s as well. How could he have been so stupid? Soobin should’ve been able to see through Yeonjun, should’ve seen his intentions, and should’ve realized Yeonjun never actually loved him. Who  _ would  _ love Soobin? He’s too tall, shy, and awkward for his own good. 

“Hey, hyung, snap out of it.” Finally, Soobin hears Beomgyu talking to him. “Snap out of it. You’re not breaking down in front of the whole school. We’re going to your house first.”

“Yeah,” Hueningkai agrees. “The same that happened with Haley is not going to happen again. Snap back to reality, hyung. Beomgyu-hyung and I are right here, with you, and we’re not leaving.”

Soobin nods, his heavy breathing slowing down. The three walk toward his car, but before they can get in, Soobin stops in his tracks.

Beomgyu looks at him in confusion and worriedness. “You okay, hyung?”

“W-we can’t go to my h-house,” Soobin finally speaks up. “M-my dad is home, and he’ll know something is u-up.”

“We can’t go to my house, either,” Kai frowns. “My dad’s home, too.”

“My mom’s home, too,” Beomgyu mutters. “Do you want to stay here, then?”

“I-I don’t care,” Soobin says. “I just don’t want to…”

Beomgyu and Hueningkai nod, knowing Soobin doesn’t want to see Yeonjun. They stay in Soobin’s car, but they stay hidden, in case anyone, especially Yeonjun, comes searching for Soobin. For the rest of first period, the three stay inside Soobin’s car, Beomgyu and Kai helping Soobin focus where they are. If they don’t, it won’t be long before Soobin slips, and he goes into his heartbroken state. From experience, that’s the last thing Beomgyu and Hueningkai want, especially since Soobin cries for endless days, stays home, doesn’t talk to anyone, and practically kills himself, since he doesn’t eat, drink, or do anything. He just lays in his bed and cries.

Eventually, almost an hour later, Soobin sniffles. It’s the first thing he’s done besides crying. Beomgyu and Kai pull away, staring at Soobin.

“You feeling better, hyung?” Hueningkai asks.

“N-not really,” Soobin admits. “B-but you two should go back to class.”

“No, hyung,” Beomgyu denies. “We have to stay here with you.”

“N-no you don’t,” Soobin says. “I-I’ll be fine, I promise. The same won’t happen with what happened to…H-Haley.”

“Are you sure?” Kai asks, a bit doubtful. “We don’t want anything to happen to you, hyung.”

“I-I’m sure,” Soobin says. “J-just go. I-I’ll call if I need anything.”

Beomgyu and Hueningkai look at Soobin, before looking at each other. The younger two don’t believe that Soobin will be okay, but they know he wants to be alone right now. Sighing in defeat, they sit up.

“Fine,” Beomgyu says. “You better call us, hyung. We’ll be here as quick as we can if you do.”

Soobin nods. “Th-thanks, guys.”

Beomgyu and Kai nod this time. They hug Soobin one last time, before Beomgyu and Hueningkai get out of Soobin’s car. They stay back for a few seconds, but eventually head toward their school to go to their second period. Soobin stays back, staring off into space. He brings his chair up, not caring if anyone comes find him, since he won’t open the door for them.

(especially if it’s yeonjun.)

Soobin doesn’t want to continue crying over the older, so for now, he’s sulking. He doesn’t even want to  _ think  _ about Choi Yeonjun. Soobin is planning to forget about the bluenette, but even _he_ knows it’ll be impossible. Especially since Yeonjun is so stubborn.

For the next thirty minutes, Soobin stays in his car. He doesn’t do or say anything, except stare in front of him. He hears the school bell ring soon, indicating the end of second period. He would’ve been in his English class right now, but he doesn’t care about going to any of his classes. 

Somehow breaking Soobin out of his depressing thoughts, he hears someone knock on the window. 

Soobin knows he shouldn’t look at who it is, especially if it’s Yeonjun, and he demands Soobin to roll down the window, or open the door, but Soobin can’t help it. He turns to his head to see who it is, and surprisingly, it’s Joy. Soobin frowns. Because of her—and Yeonjun—Soobin is the reason why he’s in this state.

Despite what he promised himself earlier, Soobin turns on the car, and rolls down the window. Once he does, Joy smiles at him, even though she notices the redness and puffiness around Soobin’s eyes, and the tear marks on his cheeks. She doesn’t care if he’s been crying, though. She’s only here for one thing.

“Hi, Soobin,” she greets enthusiastically, as if she just didn’t ruin Soobin’s life. “I’ve been looking for you. Wow, I should’ve known you’d be here.”

“What do you want, Soo-young?” he says in a blank tone.

“Nothing,” she replies with a smile, leaning on the window sill of the car. “Just wanted to talk. See how you’re doing.”

“Fuck off,” Soobin scowls. “You couldn’t care less. All you want is to win a stupid bet, and that’s all I am for you and Yeonjun. I ain’t a dollar sign for you, Soo-young. Just go away, and leave me alone.”

“Aww, but I don’t want to leave you alone,” Joy pouts. “I came to comfort you. You see, Soobin, I’m not like Yeonjun. Hell, I’m not even the one who came up with the bet. It was all Yeonjun.”

Soobin narrows his eyes at Joy. “And why should I believe you?”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” she says with a shrug. “But I’m just telling you, I’m not the one who came up with the bet. It was all Yeonjun, Soobin. You’re a ‘dollar sign’ and just a ‘bet’ for him. Me, though, I actually  _ care _ about your feelings. Why do you think I’m here?”

“To annoy me further,” Soobin mutters.

Joy giggles. “Oh, you silly goose. Of course, that’s not what I’m trying to do. I’m here to help comfort you, and maybe set up a revenge plan with you against Yeonjun. He deserves it, anyway.”

“W-we don’t need to do anything to…Y-Yeonjun,” Soobin says, a bit reluctantly. “A-are you sure you just want to comfort me? What about your classes?”

“Eh, I’ll worry about them later,” Joy says. “So, what do you say?”

“Thanks, but I don’t want to go anywhere with you, Joy,” Soobin finally says. “I appreciate it, but I want to be alone, and I…don’t really trust you.”

“Oh, okay.” Surprisingly, Joy’s face or mood doesn’t sadden. “Well, it was worth a try, right?”

Soobin nods, desperately wanting Joy to leave already. 

“Well…bye, noona.”

Joy smiles at him with a fake, sweet smile. But she doesn’t leave. Soobin raises an eyebrow at her, and opens his mouth to ask her what she’s still doing here, before he feels someone stuffing a cloth over his mouth. He lets out a muffled surprised scream, his eyes blown wide, a bit in fear. He looks at Joy, and she has a smirk on her face.

“Should’ve accepted my offer sooner, Soobinie,” she says, trailing her fingers against the younger’s chest. “Sweet dreams.”

* * *

“Fuck!”

Yeonjun almost punches the wall, because of how angry and furious he feels. Why is Joy doing all of this? Is she doing it because Yeonjun won the bet? Just because of that? No, that’s stupid. There  _ has  _ to be another reason why Joy is doing this. He paces outside the school's office, not wanting to step a foot inside. 

_ Come on, Yeonjun, do this for Soobin _ , Yeonjun thinks to himself, biting his lower lip.  _ Fuck, what if something happens, though? Especially to Soobin. I can’t do that to him.  _

_ You know what, fuck it.  _

Taking a deep breath, Yeonjun finally pulls open the door of the office. Once the door is opened, the secretary looks up, surprised to even see a student at all, since they should all be in their third period right now, and no one in the office called a student to come in, especially Yeonjun.

“Yeonjun?” Obviously, the secretary recognizes the bluenette. “What are you doing here?”

“I-I’m here to speak with my dad,” he says, his voice wavering a bit. “M-may I see him?”

“U-um, sure,” the secretary allows. “But he’s on call right now, so you’ll have to wait a bit.”

“Thank you.” 

The secretary nods at Yeonjun with a smile, and he gives her a small smile back, before walking toward his father’s office. Once he arrives, Yeonjun stares at the wooden door. His hand is slightly shaking by his side, and he wants to back out. He hasn’t seen his father ever since the Friday incident, which might not seem long, but Yeonjun still doesn’t want to see his father. 

Finally, Yeonjun decides he’s not a wimp (he kinda is, though), and firmly knocks on the door.

“Hold on a second, Park,” he hears his father mutter. “Come in!”

Taking a deep breath, Yeonjun pushes open the door. His father has continued talking on the phone, so he doesn’t look up yet. Yeonjun stays by the door awkwardly, sort of impatiently waiting for his father to finish the call. What seems like forever, his father does, placing the landline phone back in its place. He sighs, looking up, and opens his mouth, but immediately closes it when he recognizes Yeonjun.

“S-son?”

“H-hi,” he greets, a bit nervously. “A-are you busy, father?”

“O-of course not,” he replies, standing up. “W-what do you need?”

“All the surveillance footage you have of the past two hours,” Yeonjun says. 

His father raises an eyebrow. “Why?”

“I-I just need it,” Yeonjun mutters. “C-can I see them?”

“S-sure,” his father says. “Follow me.”

Yeonjun nods, and follows his father out of his office. As they walk toward another room, Yeonjun finally realizes Ae-Ri is nowhere to be seen. Yeonjun’s sure she isn’t sick, since she barely does get sick, so where is she?

“F-father, where’s Ae-Ri?” Yeonjun decides to ask.

“At home,” his father replies. “She wasn’t feeling too good.”

Yeonjun nods, but has a feeling his father isn’t telling him the complete truth. They arrive in the surveillance room, where they see one of the school’s security guards keeping watch. Well, that’s what it seems like.

“Song, I’m going to need you to step out,” Yeonjun’s father says, startling the guard. “My son and I need the room.”

“A-as you wish, Mr. Choi.” The guard bows to Yeonjun and his father, before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

“Until what hour do you need the surveillance, son?” his father questions.

“U-up until seven-thirty,” Yeonjun answers. 

His father nods. He types the time into the computers, and they wind back until they stop at exactly seven-thirty a.m. Each of the screens does, and Yeonjun skims each of them for him and Soobin. Yeonjun soon notices the younger’s car in the school’s parking lot, and he and Soobin eventually get out. They held hands as they got out of Soobin’s car, which makes Yeonjun let out a small, sad smile. His eyes drift from screen to screen until they land in the field.

Yeonjun watches what happens in the field on the screen, before Soobin leaves them to talk with Yeonjun’s father. Yeonjun’s eyes drift from screen to screen again, and one of them shows Soobin and Yeonjun’s father talking. They don’t stop until ten minutes later, and Soobin leaves the principal’s office. Soobin walks back toward the field, and Yeonjun frowns, since he knows what’s going to happen next.

Yeonjun looks away from what happens, and tries to drown out the talking, but he can’t. It breaks his heart to hear the conversation again, and tears well up in his eyes. He blinks them back, since he doesn’t want to cry in front of his father.

After Soobin ran away, Yeonjun follows where he goes. Yeonjun’s eyes land on one of the cameras in the school’s parking lot, and he curses under his breath, wondering why he didn’t look there. After almost an hour and a half, Beomgyu and Hueningkai get out of Soobin’s car, heading back toward their school to probably head to their third period.

For thirty minutes, Soobin was alone. Yeonjun frowns at the sad look on Soobin’s face, especially at his puffy and red eyes. Yeonjun knows he’s the cause of Soobin’s broken heart, which makes him hate himself for the first time in forever. Soobin is innocent; why didn’t Yeonjun think about his feelings?

_ Focus, Yeonjun _ . He brings himself to reality.  _ You have to know what happened. _

Yeonjun shakes his head, and focuses on the screen again. Around two minutes later, he finally notices  _ Joy  _ walking up to Soobin’s car. Soobin seemed reluctant, but he rolled down the window for Joy. The two talked for around a minute or so, before the screen of the school’s parking lot’s camera’s CCTV goes out, and turns fuzzy. 

“What the-?” Yeonjun’s father mutters. He clacks on some keys on the keyboard rapidly, trying to fix the screen. But nothing happens minutes later, making Yeonjun and his father confused.

“W-what happened?” Yeonjun finally asks.

“I-I don’t know,” his father mutters. “I-I think someone jacked the camera or something.”

_ “The only reason Soobin isn’t here, Yeonjun, is because I took him. I took advantage of his vulnerable state, and his dumbass followed me to my car where I hit him, and took him somewhere. He’s being held captive now.” _

Those words run through Yeonjun’s head.  _ Joy _ .  _ Of course _ , she hijacked the camera, or did something to it, so its CCTV wouldn’t show. She knew Yeonjun would check the surveillance, and was smart enough to do something to the camera, so it wouldn’t show anything.

“Fucking bitch,” Yeonjun curses out loud this time. “She’s going to fucking pay.”

“Yeonjun?” His father looks at him in confusion, an eyebrow raised. “Are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine,” Yeonjun lies. “Um, Dad, can I have the flash drive USB of this CCTV? I…need it for science.”

His father obviously doesn’t believe him, but he notices the panicking look on Yeonjun’s face. “S-sure, son.”

Yeonjun nods, a bit relieved. His father gets the USB prepared for him, and it is a few minutes later. He takes it out from the machines, and hands it to Yeonjun. 

“Thanks,” he says, pocketing it. “Th-thanks for everything, father.”

The male nods. “W-where are you going now, son?”

“I-I don’t know,” he admits.  _ But hopefully, I get to Soobin, before it’s too late. _

* * *

Groaning, the ravenette’s eyes slowly flutter open. His vision is a bit fuzzy and blurry, and he feels dizzy. He doesn’t recognize the room he’s in—hell, he can’t even recognize the scent. It’s too foreign for him to. He winces, groaning at the pounding in his head. He can’t remember what happened, especially why he’s here. 

Once his vision clears, he can see where he’s at better. He also realizes there’s something around his wrists and ankles. Looking down, he notices chains around wrists, and they’re up against the wall. Not that it’s needed, but there’s duct tape around his ankles. He’s taken a defense class before—only once, though—so he knows it isn’t that difficult to take off duct tape from his body parts.

He just wants to know where he is, though.

As if to answer one of his minor prayers, the door opens. 

His eyes dart toward who opens it, and he’s surprised to see  _ Joy _ .

“N-noona?” He’s startled at how hoarse his voice sounds.

“Hi, Soobinie,” Joy greets with a small smirk.

Soobin frowns at the nickname. Only Yeonjun got to call him that, and he still does, so no one else gets to call him that.

“D-don’t call me that,” he mutters. 

“Oh, right, I forgot,” Joy chuckles. “Only your precious  _ hyungie  _ can call you that.”

Soobin glares at her. “Shut up.”

“Or what, Choi?” Joy demands, her gaze darkening. “You’re the one in chains.”

Soobin ignores her. “W-what am I doing here, Soo-young?”

“I took you captive, duh,” she replies, rolling her eyes.

“W-where are we?”

“Somewhere in…Australia, I think,” Joy mumbles.

Soobin’s eyes widen, and he almost chokes on his saliva.  _ “Australia _ ? _ ” _

Joy giggles. “No. I was just messing with you, Choi. We’re actually in Japan.”

Soobin rolls his eyes. “Tell me the truth, Park.”

“Fine,” she sighs. “We’re in Buk-gu, Daegu.”

“W-we’re  _ three hours  _ away from Seoul?”

“Three hours  _ and  _ one minute,” Joy corrects with a proud smile.

“This isn’t something to be happy about, Soo-young,” Soobin frowns. “Why am I here? Why am I  _ chained against the wall _ ? Why did you  _ drug  _ me?”

“Relax,” Joy scoffs. “Etorphine isn’t harmful. I think.”

“Let me go,” Soobin demands. 

“No thanks, Choi,” Joy says with a sweet smile. “I’d rather have you here.”

“Why?” Soobin scowls. “I never did anything to you.”

“You never did anything to me?” Joy repeats in disbelief, her eyes narrowing angrily. She gets up from the crate she’s sitting on, and walks toward Soobin. She grips the younger’s shoulder, which somehow hurts like hell. He grits his teeth, but looks Joy in the eye, and she glares at him. “You  _ ruined  _ my life, Choi Soobin.”

“I-I’ve never met you before in my life,” he grits out. “Not before you became a new student at my school.”

“Of course you’ve never met me,” Joy spits. “You never noticed me. I did everything to get your attention, but you were too caught up with… _ Yeonjun _ . What did you see in that slut, anyway? Did you know he used to spread his legs to anyone before? He’s a whore, if you ask me.”

Soobin glares at Joy. “Don’t talk about him like that.”

The older’s eyebrows raise in surprise. “Ah, you care? I thought you wouldn’t, because of what Yeonjun did to you.”

Soobin continues glaring at Joy, not saying anything to her.

“Fine, don’t say anything,” she sighs. “But just know that you ruined my life, Choi Soobin. And now, it’s  _ my  _ goal to ruin yours, too, and ruin Yeonjun’s, too.”

“W-why bring Yeonjun-hyung into this?” Soobin says. “H-he’s innocent.”

Joy chuckles. “Is he?”

“H-he’s done nothing to you.”

That makes Joy snap, and she grabs Soobin’s shoulder in an iron grip. This time, Soobin cries out in pain, but Joy doesn’t pull her hand away.

“He took  _ you  _ away from me,” she glowers.  _ “I  _ fell in love with you, Soobin. Yeonjun never loved you. Why can’t you love  _ me _ ?  _ I  _ can show you true love, Soobin. Let me show you true love, and I’ll let you go.”

“Thanks, but I’d never go on a date with a psychopath,” he mutters under his breath.

Joy hears him, and she scowls, slapping Soobin across the face. “Fine. If you want to be rude, two can play that game.”

“I’d like to see you try,” he retorts, his cheek stinging red.

Joy glares at Soobin, standing up. She storms out of the room Soobin is in, before slamming the door closed behind her.


	16. Order

Yeonjun’s father looks at Yeonjun with a small frown. He doesn’t know what his son is about to do, especially with the information he just learned, but he doesn’t want Yeonjun to do anything that might get him killed.

“Just be careful, okay, son?” his father says softly. “I don’t want to get called to tell me the news that you’re dead.”

“Father, I won’t die,” Yeonjun chuckles,  even though he doesn’t know that.

“I’ll be fine.”

His father nods. “Just be safe, okay?”

“I will,” Yeonjun says. “Thanks again, father.”

The male nods again, and Yeonjun smiles at him, before walking out of the surveillance office. Yeonjun’s sure his father will excuse his absence for the rest of his classes, so he walks out of the school. Yeonjun still has Rosé’s car keys, so he heads toward her car. Once he arrives, he unlocks the vehicle to get in, and he does. He buckles himself in, and turns on the car. But then, he just sits there.

What is Yeonjun going to do? He doesn’t even know if Joy really took Soobin. If she did, Yeonjun doesn’t know where she took the raven-haired male, either. How is Yeonjun going to rescue Soobin if he doesn’t know even one thing where Joy might’ve taken Soobin?

Yeonjun sighs, leaning his head against the steering wheel of the car.  _ Now’s not the time to feel useless, Choi. Now’s the time to use your brain, and figure out where Joy might’ve taken Soobin. They shouldn’t be that far. It’s barely 11:55 AM, and the incident happened around eight, so they should be around three hours away. _

To that thought, Yeonjun takes out his phone. He unlocks it, and searches through his apps until he finds Google. He opens the app, and presses the search bar. The cursor blinks back at him as if to tease him, and Yeonjun frowns. He types ‘cities three hours away from seoul’ into the search bar, and presses enter after. Results, links, websites, and photos start popping up, and Yeonjun goes to the first result:

_ Cities three hours away from Seoul: _

  * _Jinju-si - 3 hours and 23 minutes_



  * _Gwangyang-si - 3 hours and 16 minutes_



  * _Gyeongsang-si - 3 hours and 15 minutes_


  * Buk-gu, Daegu - 3 hours and 1 minute


  * Suncheon-si - 2 hours and 56 minutes



Yeonjun blows a raspberry with his lips. If he goes in order to all these places, it’s going to take him more than six hours. However, right now it’s barely going to be twelve p.m., so he’ll be done around six p.m. That’s not too bad.

_ You can do this, Yeonjun. We’re just going to need a lot of coffee. _

Now determined, Yeonjun tightens his seatbelt. He makes sure everything is okay in Rosé’s car, and is about to shift the car to drive, before there’s a knock on the window. Looking up, he’s surprised to see Hueningkai.

Rolling down the window, Yeonjun raises an eyebrow at the brown-haired male. “Kai? What are you doing here? I’ve been searching for you everywhere.”

“I was in my classes, hyung,” he says. “Why didn’t you look there?”

“I thought you were skipping them,” Yeonjun mutters. “What are you doing here?”

“I was walking to my fourth period, and I saw you,” Hueningkai explains. “Where are you going, hyung?”

“Um…” Yeonjun checks his phone to see what his first destination is. “Jinju-si.”

“Jinju-si?” Kai repeats, mostly in confusion. “Why are you going there, hyung?”

“I’m going to s-” Yeonjun stops himself before he can say he’s going to save Soobin. Hueningkai doesn’t know Joy (probably) kidnapped Soobin, and he doesn’t  _ need  _ to know. Yeonjun would rather have that burden to himself, than let Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Kai know, because then they’d worry, and would want to go with Yeonjun to save him. So, instead, Yeonjun smiles innocently at Hueningkai. “Oh, I’m just going because Rosé-noona needs something from there.”

“Why does she need something from Jinju-si?”

Yeonjun shrugs. “I dunno. She’s weird. You know, it’s getting a bit late, Kai. You should head back to class.”

“Hyung, are you lying to me?” he asks with a small frown.

Whenever Hueningkai looks at him with a frown, whether it’s barely visible or not, Yeonjun wants to give in to him. He doesn’t like it when Kai, Soobin, or Beomgyu (and taehyun now, too) look at him like that, because he knows he’s going to do something wrong. But this time, he isn’t. He’s going to save Soobin, which is a good thing.

(hopefully.)

“I-I’m not lying to you, Kai,” Yeonjun lies. “I promise. I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay,” Hueningkai mutters. “Call or text me when you’re back.”

Yeonjun nods, making a mental note to himself to text Kai around three p.m. “Will do, Kai. See you later.”

“Be safe, hyung.” 

“I will.”

Hueningkai nods, and he gives Yeonjun a small wave. Yeonjun smiles at him, and finally shifts the gear to drive. Before he drives away, though, Yeonjun looks at Kai. The younger looks back at him with a slightly raised brow.

“Is everything okay, hyung?” Hueningkai questions.

“E-everything’s fine.” The only reason Yeonjun stopped is because he remembered where he’s going. He’s going to save Soobin, which means he’s going to see Joy as well. As he learned just today, Yeonjun knows Joy’s crazy in the head, so she might do something to him. If that ‘something’ turns out to be something horrible that ends up killing him, Yeonjun wants to make sure he tells the people he loves the most a final goodbye and an ‘I love you’ before he dies. “I-I just wanted to say that I love you, Kai. Always will.”

“I-I love you, too, hyung,” he returns, letting out a small smile.

“Tell Beom and Tae that I love them, too,” Yeonjun says. “Always will.”

“I-I will, hyung,” Hueningkai says, starting to find this a bit weird. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine,” Yeonjun says, shaking his head. “Bye, Kai.”

“Bye, hyung.”

Yeonjun smiles at Kai for a last time, before he starts driving. He drives out of the school’s parking lot, and puts Jinju-si in the GPS, so he can know where he’s going. 

Let’s just hope both Soobin and Yeonjun will make it out okay.

* * *

Around two hours later, Yeonjun still isn’t in Jinju-si. He’s around an hour and a half away, but he stopped, since he needed to go to the bathroom. Rosé’s car was running out of gas as well, so Yeonjun stopped at a gas station.

Stepping out of the bathroom after doing his business and washing his hands, Yeonjun decides to get a few snacks for the trip. He figures Soobin might be hungry, so he gets extra, just in case. As Yeonjun grabs some snacks, he opens one to put it in his mouth, not being able to wait until he pays. Once he finishes, he walks toward the cashier, placing the snacks and two drinks down.

“Will that be all, sir?” the cashier asks, scanning his items.

“Yeah,” he replies.

The cashier nods. She continues ringing up Yeonjun, and the blue-haired male takes out his wallet. Just as he’s counting his money, he hears his phone starting to ring. He takes it out in slight confusion, checking the caller ID to see who's calling him: Rosé.

With a small sigh, Yeonjun answers the call. “Hello?”

“Yeonjun, where are you?” Rosé demands. 

“I’m in…” Yeonjun skims the gas station to see which city he’s in. “Gyeongsan-si.”

“You’re in  _ Gyeongsan-si _ , Yeonjun?”

“Um, yeah?”

“Why the hell are you there? You should be in Seoul. I thought I lend you my keys, so you could go home.”

“I have some business I need to take care of, noona,” Yeonjun sighs. “I’m sorry for not telling you, but I didn’t because you were teaching. I didn’t want to disturb you. I’ll be back around midnight.”

_ “Midnight _ ?!” Rosé exclaims. “Choi Yeonjun, what the hell are you doing?”

“Um, I can’t talk, noona, bye,” he says quickly, before ending their call. Yeonjun sighs in relief, but it won’t be long before Rosé comes looking for him. Hopefully, by then, Yeonjun will be hours away. Just in case, he turns off his notifications for Rosé, before pocketing his phone.

“Your total will be fourteen dollars,” the cashier tells him.

Yeonjun nods, and he hands her fifteen dollars. “Keep the change. Thank you.”

The cashier bids him the same thing, and Yeonjun smiles at her in thanks, before leaving the shop. He walks back toward Rosé’s car, and gets in. He put gas in the car before he went to the restroom, so he turns it on. He puts his seatbelt on, before shifting the gear to drive, and continuing to drive toward Jinju-si.

* * *

Almost six hours and a half later, Yeonjun is in Gyeongsang. He  _ still  _ hasn’t found Soobin, despite looking everywhere in each city he’s been to, which is Jinju-si, Gwangyang-si, and Gyeongsang. By now, it’s around six-thirty p.m., and Yeonjun can tell Rosé’s been calling and texting him all day, but of course, he’s been ignoring them. He needs to focus on finding Soobin, and finding Soobin only.

(well, also maybe killing joy as well, but for now, yeonjun is focusing on finding soobin.)

Yeonjun sighs, continuing to drive through the streets of Gyeongsang. He obviously parks at times to search through the buildings, but he still doesn’t find the younger. Yeonjun is starting to give up hope, but he knows he can’t, because finding Soobin is important, especially if Yeonjun has to do it before Soobin is killed.

Yeonjun shakes his head at the thought, heading back to Rosé’s car. He’s looked everywhere in Gyeongsang now, and even asked a few people if they’ve seen someone who looks like Joy or Soobin. He even showed them their picture, but they all said no. 

As he gets inside the car, Yeonjun grabs his phone to check what his next destination is: 

Buk-gu, Daegu.

Yeonjun sighs, putting his phone away. He puts Buk-gu in the GPS, before starting to drive where the machine is telling him to go.

_ Let’s just hope you’re in Buk-gu and alive, Soobin. _

* * *

Surprisingly (or not), Joy doesn’t bother him for the next hour. No one else besides Joy comes, either. Soobin is left alone to himself and his thoughts. Of course, he doesn’t just sit there. He tries to take off the duct tape, and take his wrists out of the chains. He knows it’s impossible to get out of them, but he’s going to try. The iron of the chains keeps rubbing against the skin of his wrist, making it red, bleed, and raw. Soobin ignores the pain, though, especially the pain in his shoulder.

Speaking of which, Soobin still hasn’t found out why his shoulder hurts. He knows it isn’t broken, or else his whole arm would hurt, so it must be bruised or dislocated.

(he hopes it’s bruised.)

Fortunately, Soobin is able to take the duct tape around his ankles. It’s not like he can use them, so they’re useless for now. Soobin wonders why Joy even tied duct tape around his ankles. Until now, Soobin thought Joy was working alone, seeming to have forgotten that someone else beside Joy stuffed his mouth with a drug earlier at their school. He realizes she’s not working alone when he hears voices outside.

_ “Are you sure that’s what boss wants? Last time, he got pretty mad.” _

_ “Just do what I say, Park.” _

_ “Whatever you say. If we get in trouble, it’s on you.” _

_ “Please. Choi wouldn’t do anything to me. I’ve gotten him closer to his son, so he should be thankful.” _

_ “I don’t think you did, but okay. I’ll be back.” _

Soobin wonders what Joy and the female she was talking with were talking about. They mentioned a boss, the other female’s last name, and that their boss’ name is Choi. Unfortunately, there are a lot of Chois in South Korea, so Soobin can’t pinpoint which Choi they were talking about.

Breaking him out of his thoughts, Soobin starts hearing footsteps nearing him. His breath hitches in fear, but he knows he shouldn’t be. Joy wouldn’t do anything to him, right?   


“Wow, I’m surprised that you _were_ actually able to get the duct tape off.”

Looking up, Soobin locks eyes with Joy.

“What do you want, Soo-young?” he sighs.

“Just wanted to check up on you,” she says. “How have you been?”

“How do you think I’m doing?” Soobin replies. “I’m three hours away from my home, away from my family, I’m in a strange place, I was  _ kidnapped _ , I want to go home, and worst of all, I’m hungry.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll get you some food soon,” Joy says. “And you shouldn’t want to go home, Soobin. You should want to be with me. We’re meant to be.”

“No we aren’t,” he grits out. “Get that through your thick head.”

Joy rolls her eyes. “You’re just acting dumb with me, Soobin. You’ll realize it sooner or later. So, are you bored? I can keep you company.”

Soobin sighs. Having company, even if it’s Joy’s, is better than nothing.

“Fine,” he gives in. 

Joy smiles excitedly. She grabs one of the crates that are in the room, and she brings it closer toward Soobin, stopping until they’re barely an inch away. To an outsider, it looks as if Joy is straddling Soobin, but the ravenette knows he’d never let that happen, even though his hands are chained to the wall.

“To start, why are you in love with me?” he begins. “I’ve never met you before until your first day at school.”

“Well, Soobin, we first met at the mall,” Joy says. “You were with Beomgyu and Hueningkai, remember?”

Soobin stares at Joy in confusion. He thinks back to the last time he went to the mall with Beomgyu and Kai, and realizes that was three months ago, which was in September. They went to the mall to buy Yeonjun a gift for his birthday. Soobin’s eyes widen, and he feels a chill run down his spine. 

“Th-that means you’ve been in love with me for three months.” 

Joy squeals, clapping her hands. “Finally you realize it, love! I saw you once you were at the ice cream store, and I fell in love with you since.”

Soobin’s eyes grow wider as he remembers that day at the mall.  _ “You  _ were the worker that helped me.”

“Yes, I was,” Joy says with a proud smile. “God, you looked so handsome that day. Too bad you never paid me more attention. If you did, we wouldn’t be here.”

“I-if you truly loved me, Soo-young, I wouldn’t be here,” Soobin says pointedly. “Let me go.”

“I wish I could,” Joy frowns. “But you said you would never date a psychopath like me. So, since you can’t take that back, you’re staying here with me.  _ I’ll  _ show you love, and eventually, you’ll have to marry me.”

“You really  _ are  _ crazy,” Soobin mutters. 

Joy shrugs. “Thanks. It runs in my family.”

“Come on, Joy, I’m sorry about what I said,” Soobin lies. Anything to get out of here. “W-we can go out on a date. What’s your favorite restaurant?”

Joy laughs. “Oh, Soobin, Soobin, Soobin. You don’t get it, do you? You’re staying here with me  _ forever _ , whether you like it or not. You’re going to fall in love with me, and we’ll be able to get married soon. You’ll love me just like I love you.”

Soobin keeps himself from grimacing. “P-please, Soo-young.”

“Sorry, but no,” she says. “Now, let’s change the subject…”

* * *

Thirty-two minutes later, Yeonjun finally arrives in Buk-gu, Daegu. He’s only been in Daegu once before, and that was when it was Beomgyu’s eighth birthday. They came to his hometown for it, but Yeonjun’s never been back in Daegu ever since. He’s also been in Buk-gu, since that’s where Beomgyu was born. 

Yeonjun parks Rosé’s car in a parking lot of some building, and gets out, locking the car behind him. He looks around his surroundings, recognizing them a bit. It’s been eleven years since he’s been in Buk-gu, so he doesn’t remember that much, but he’s sure he’ll be okay.

Yeonjun takes out his phone to check the time; nine p.m. Hopefully, Soobin is here, or else Yeonjun won’t return home until around three a.m.

(that is, if he finds soobin.)

Sighing, Yeonjun starts his search for Soobin. He asks around if people have seen the ravenette or Joy, but again, everyone says no. Yeonjun knows he can’t give up hope yet, so he continues walking. He skims every building, from the lowest floor to the highest one, but no sign of Soobin or Joy. Yeonjun continues walking, even calling out Soobin’s name. No one responds back to him, except a few crazy people, but he ignores them.

_ Come on, Soobin, where are you? _

A frown has long etched onto Yeonjun’s face, and it still hasn’t disappeared. He badly wants to find Soobin, but it’s as if the younger doesn’t want to be found. But Yeonjun can’t give up on Soobin just yet. He owes it to him after using him for a bet and some cash.

Somehow, a miracle happens to Yeonjun. He arrives outside an abandoned warehouse, and although he’s a bit creeped out by it, he approaches it hesitantly. He walks toward what he assumes is the front door, and knocks on it. No one replies, so he pushes the door open. Unsurprisingly, the door isn’t locked, so it easily pushes open for Yeonjun. The bluenette steps inside the warehouse, almost gagging at the scent it has.

“Soobin?!” he calls out. “Soobin, are you here?!”

Like always, Yeonjun doesn’t get a response. He continues walking, turning on the flashlight of his phone once the place starts getting darker. He shines it in the places and doors he can’t see. He opens every door in case Soobin is in one of the rooms, but Soobin isn’t anywhere. Yeonjun groans, yet continues walking.

_ Finally _ , around five minutes later, Yeonjun arrives by the end of the hallway. He checks the closed door on the left, and there’s nothing there. So, he checks the door on the right, and it unsurprisingly opens easily. But Yeonjun’s surprised when he sees  _ Soobin _ , his wrists chained to the walls, and a blindfold tied around his mouth. 

“Soobin,” Yeonjun says in relief, quickly running over toward him. Yeonjun kneels in front of Soobin, and softly cups the younger’s cheek to check if he has a temperature. “God, are you okay? I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

Instead of replying (it’s not like he can, anyway), Soobin just glares at Yeonjun. The older’s frown deepens, and he tries to ignore Soobin’s glare. Yeonjun takes off the blindfold from Soobin’s mouth, making him sigh in relief.

“What are you doing here, Yeonjun-hyung?” he demands. “I thought you didn’t care about me.”

“Soobin, just because I made a stupid bet about you doesn’t mean I don’t care about your feelings,” Yeonjun says pointedly.

“You made it seem like you didn’t care.”

“I’m sorry, okay?” Yeonjun frowns. “But right now we don’t have time to fight. We have to get out of here.”

Soobin doesn’t argue with Yeonjun there. He wants to get out of here, especially away from Joy. He lets Yeonjun search for a key, and he somehow finds one from one of the crates nearby. Yeonjun turns toward Soobin, and softly grabs his wrists, whilst unlocking the chains around them. Once they’re both unlocked from the chains, Soobin sighs in relief. He rubs his wrists, wincing at the redness and rawness around them.

“I-I’ll help you fix your wrists later,” Yeonjun promises. “Can you stand?”

“I-I hope so,” Soobin mutters.

Although he’s mad at Yeonjun, Soobin still lets the bluenette help pull him up. Fortunately, Soobin’s legs aren’t hurt, so he’s able to walk. But he doesn’t forget about his shoulder, especially since it starts stinging in pain once he’s up. He flinches, and Yeonjun obviously notices.

“Are you okay?” he asks worriedly. 

“Let’s just go home,” Soobin mumbles, instead of replying to Yeonjun’s question.

Yeonjun nods. He turns to start walking away, and Soobin follows behind him. Surprisingly, they don’t find anyone in their way, which is weird. Shouldn’t at least Joy be here? She was the one who took Soobin captive, anyway. Why isn’t she here? Yeonjun shrugs it off, figuring Soobin is more important right now.

As Yeonjun leads Soobin back to Rosé’s car, he curses himself under his breath for not parking the car closer. In Soobin’s state, he shouldn’t walk too much. But Yeonjun didn’t know how he’d be, so it isn’t fully his fault. 

They arrive at Rosé’s car almost twenty minutes later, and Yeonjun takes out the keys to unlock it. He and Soobin get inside the car, and close the doors behind them. Yeonjun turns the car on as he and Soobin buckle themselves in. Yeonjun shifts the gear to reverse to back out of the parking spot, before shifting the gear to drive to start driving toward the nearest hospital.

During the drive, Soobin and Yeonjun stay silent. Soobin is still too angry at Yeonjun for what he did, and Yeonjun knows, so he’s smart enough not to say anything. As they near the hospital, Yeonjun’s phone continues dinging. He sighs, finally muting it. He’s been getting texts and calls from Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai all day, asking where he is, since he isn’t home yet. Rosé had to take the subway home, since Yeonjun had her car.

Soobin and Yeonjun arrive at the nearest hospital minutes later, and Yeonjun parks in the parking lot. He unbuckles himself, but looks at Soobin, since the younger doesn’t move.

“Let’s go, Bin,” Yeonjun says.

“Why are we here?” Soobin demands. “I thought we were going home.”

Yeonjun sighs. “Soobin, your shoulder’s hurt. The doctor also needs to look at your wrists, and check other things, too. We’re going inside, even if I have to carry you.”

Soobin rolls his eyes, muttering something about Yeonjun being too weak to carry him. Yeonjun rolls his eyes at Soobin, getting out of the car. Soobin does the same hesitantly, closing the door behind him. He follows behind Yeonjun toward the entrance, and they walk toward the receptionist.

“Hello,” she greets with a small smile.

“Hi,” Yeonjun returns, smiling back. “Um, my…friend here has an injured shoulder and wrists, and we’d also like to check a few other things.”

“Why are his shoulder and wrists injured?” the receptionist asks, typing some things into her computer.

“He was kidnapped,” Yeonjun bluntly states. 

The receptionist’s eyes slightly widen, and she clears her throat. “D-dear, you know you have to that to the police, right?”

“Y-yes we know, but right now his injuries are more important,” Yeonjun says. “Can he see a doctor?”

“Sure,” the receptionist says. “You said you were his friend, right?”

Yeonjun nods, but he hears Soobin scoff quietly. Yeonjun ignores him, and thanks the receptionist when she hands him a form for Soobin to fill out. They walk toward the waiting room, and sit down. Soobin sits a chair away from Yeonjun, but the older man just sits in the seat next to him. He thrusts the clipboard with the form in his lap, glaring at him slightly.

“Tone down the attitude, Soobin,” Yeonjun hisses. “I saved you.”

“I didn’t ask to be saved,” Soobin snaps, starting to fill out the form. “I didn’t ask anything from you. All I wanted was to be left alone.”

“Soobin, who knows what Joy would’ve done if I didn’t save you,” Yeonjun says pointedly. “You’re lucky I saved you on time.”

“Lucky my ass,” Soobin mutters under his breath. “One of the reasons why I was kidnapped was because of you. If you never made the damn bet, we wouldn’t be here in this situation.”

“Hey, not everything’s my fault,” Yeonjun scowls. “I didn’t know Joy was going to freaking kidnap you.”

“Sure you didn’t.”

“Choi Soobin, why would I lie about that?” Yeonjun finally retaliates. “I care about you. I’m your friend. I…fucking fell in love with you. You think I would risk your life like that?”

“Yeah,” Soobin frowns. “You don’t care about my feelings, and you never fell in love with me. Stop with the bullshit, Yeonjun.”

The bluenette glares at Soobin. “We’re not fighting about this in a damn  _ hospital _ , Soobin. Calm down.”

The younger rolls his eyes, but doesn’t say anything else. Soobin continues filling out the form, and Yeonjun looks away from him to look at what they’re playing on the TV. He gasps once he realizes they’re playing Peppa Pig, and starts paying attention. He squeals whenever George, his bias, shows up, which annoys Soobin and some of the other people there with them, but he ignores them.

Finally, Soobin finishes filling out the form, and he hands it to the receptionist. She thanks him, and assures him his doctor will come get him soon. Soobin nods, and goes to sit back down. Ten minutes later, a nurse appears from the entrance door. She has a clipboard in her hands, and smirks when she reads the name on it.

“Choi Soobin?!”

At his name, the ravenette looks up. Soobin can’t exactly see who his nurse is, but he can tell she’s a female. He gets up without waiting for Yeonjun, and walks toward his nurse. Yeonjun rolls his eyes, and he follows behind Soobin. They arrive where the nurse is, but she turns before they can see her face.

“Follow me to your room, please.”

Soobin and Yeonjun nod, and they follow behind the nurse. They still don’t see her face, which they find a bit weird, but they don’t question it. Once they arrive in Soobin’s hospital room, the nurse closes the door behind them, yet Soobin and Yeonjun don’t find it weird this time, because of privacy.

“Please sit down on that chair,” she says, sanitizing her hands with hand sanitizer.

Soobin nods again, and sits down on the chair next to the blood pressure monitor. He waits for the nurse to check his blood pressure, but when the nurse turns around, both Soobin and Yeonjun gasp when they recognize her.

_ “Joy?” _

“Hey,” she greets with a smug smile. “My name is Nurse Park, and I’ll be your nurse for today, Soobin.”

“What are you doing here?” he demands. “I thought you left.”

“I did,” Joy says. “But I left to come here.”

“You  _ left _ ?” Yeonjun repeats. “Why?”

“Oh, Yeonjun, nice to see you again,” Joy says.

“Answer my question, Park.”

The female rolls her eyes. “I left because I got the message you were in Buk-gu. Why do you think I made it so easy for you to find Soobin, Yeonjun? I  _ wanted  _ you to find him. If I didn’t, I would’ve taken him to Taiwan or something.”

“Why are you doing this, Soo-young?” Yeonjun asks. “We never did anything to you.”

_ “You  _ took the love of my life away from me,” Joy scowls. “And  _ Soobin  _ never recognized me, or paid me enough attention. Consider this as payback.”

“Just because of that?” Yeonjun scoffs. “You really are a dumb bitch.” Joy glares at Yeonjun, and slaps him across the face. Yeonjun glares back at her, and he slaps her as well. “Hit me again, and I won’t just slap you, Soo-young. I’ve had enough of your bullshit.”

“Touch me again, and I’ll start screaming,” she warns. 

“What’s that going to do?” Soobin says, raising an eyebrow.

Joy smirks, crossing her arms. “What do you think is going to happen? I scream, and people are going to come. They’re going to ask what happened, and who do you think they’re going to believe more? Me, a vulnerable female in the presence of two  _ men _ , or said men, who can do anything to me if I don’t defend myself?”

Soobin and Yeonjun don’t say anything. They know Joy is right. People would rather believe Joy than Soobin and Yeonjun.

“Now, here’s what’s going to happen,” she begins. “You two, are going to be in a relationship-”

“What the fuck?” Soobin interrupts. “I don’t want to be in a relationship with  _ Yeonjun.” _

“Don’t interrupt me, Soobin,” Joy snarls. “Whether you like it or not, you two will be in a relationship. You’re going to kiss, hold hands, touch each other, have sex—or not, it’s up to you guys—and be all lovey-dovey. You’re going to make people you two are in love, and when it comes to the winter dance, Soobin, you’re going to ask  _ Yeonjun  _ to the dance. You can’t ask anyone else.”

“And if we don’t listen to you?” Yeonjun questions, raising an eyebrow.

“I’ll kill your dear cousin Rosie,” Joy replies with a sweet smile. She looks at Soobin. “And if you don’t listen to me, either, Soobin, then I’ll kill your parents and siblings.”

Chills run down Soobin’s and Yeonjun’s spines at the mention of their loved ones dying. They glare at Joy once again.

“Why are you doing this, Soo-young?” Soobin demands. “Just because we never did anything that satisfied you doesn’t mean you have to destroy our lives like this.”

“Soobin, I can do whatever I want,” Joy says, shrugging. “You either take it, or you leave it. But if you leave it, just remember your loved ones die.”

Soobin and Yeonjun glance at each other. They know Joy  _ would  _ kill their loved ones if they don’t listen to her, and their loved ones are innocent. So, with a sigh and frown, Soobin and Yeonjun look back at Joy.

“W-we accept.”

“Goodie,” she squeals, clapping. “This all starts today. Remember what happens if you don’t listen.” Smirking at them one last time, Joy places the clipboard down, and walks out of the room, closing the door behind her, which leaves Soobin and Yeonjun alone.


	17. High

Once Joy leaves, Soobin nor Yeonjun say anything. Instead, they just stay there, trying to comprehend what just happened. Joy, a girl they’ve never met before in their entire life until a few days ago, claims she’s in ‘love’ with Soobin, kidnapped said male, and threatened both him and Yeonjun that if they don’t start dating each other, she’ll kill their loved ones.

How does any of this make sense?

Joy claims she’s in love with Soobin, yet wants him to date another person?

What?

“S-so, we’re really going to do this,” he mutters, being the first to break the silence.

“M-maybe we don’t have to,” Yeonjun says.

“Hyung, you heard Soo-young,” Soobin says. “If we don’t listen to her…”

“-she’s going to kill the people we love the most,” Yeonjun finishes. “God, she’s fucking crazy.”

“Ya think?” Soobin scoffs. “I don’t want to date you. You’re the last person I want to date right now. Couldn’t she make me date anyone else?”

Yeonjun rolls his eyes. “Soobin, when are you going to get over it? I said I was sorry a billion times.”

“Yeah, and a ‘sorry’ is going to fix everything.”

Yeonjun sighs, knowing Soobin is right. They both don’t say anything else until the door opens a few minutes later. This time, a purple-haired female dressed in scrubs appears, panting a bit heavily. Soobin and Yeonjun look up, and Yeonjun’s eyes widen when he recognizes Soobin’s nurse.

“Y-you’re Kim Jisoo,” he says, catching the female’s attention. “Y-you’re dating my cousin.”

Jisoo raises an eyebrow. “I-I am?”

“Y-yeah,” Yeonjun says. “My cousin’s Park Chaeyoung, or Rosé, as she prefers. I-I thought you moved out of the country.”

“Oh, so _you’re_ Yeonjun,” Jisoo says with a small smile. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Yeonjun gives Jisoo a small smile back. “Th-thanks, I guess. W-what are you doing here, though? I thought you moved out of the country.”

“There was a change of plans,” she explains. “Don’t worry, Rosé knows, too. You should’ve seen how happy she got. It was so cute.”

“That’s Rosie for you,” Yeonjun says.

Jisoo nods in agreement. “Hey, but what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in Seoul?”

Yeonjun chuckles nervously. “U-um, it’s a long story.”

Jisoo sighs. “Rosé’s been looking everywhere for you. I’m sorry, Yeonjun, but we both know I’m going to have to tell her you’re here.”

Yeonjun nods. “I-I know.”

Jisoo shakes her head, but finally pays Soobin attention. She pulls some gloves on, before checking Soobin’s blood pressure, height, and weight. Once they’re done, she leads them toward another room, and tells Soobin to lay down on the bed. He does, and Jisoo places the clipboard down for the doctor.

“Dr. Yoo will be here shortly,” Jisoo assures. “Yeonjun, Rosé’s going to be here soon, so get ready to deal with her.”

Yeonjun nods. “Thanks, noona.”

Jisoo gives Soobin and Yeonjun a smile, before she leaves the room, closing the door behind her. That leaves Soobin and Yeonjun alone once again.

“You know the nurse?” Soobin asks, even though the answer is kind of obvious.

“Yeah,” Yeonjun sighs. “She’s dating Rosé-noona.” 

“She seems nice,” Soobin mutters.

“She does,” Yeonjun agrees with a soft smile.

Soobin and Yeonjun then stay silent. Soobin remembers he’s still mad at Yeonjun, so he doesn’t tell the blue-haired male anything else. Yeonjun notices, so he sighs, leaning back against the wall. The two continue staying in silence until the door knocks and opens ten minutes later.

“Hello,” the doctor greets. “Choi Soobin?”

The raven-haired male nods. “Th-that’s me.”

“Hi, I’m Dr. Yoo,” she says, extending her hand. Soobin smiles, and shakes it. “Why are you here, Soobin?”

“Um, my shoulder hurts,” he replies. “A lot. I think it might be dislocated or something.”

“Do you know why?” Dr. Yoo asks.

Soobin shakes his head. “No.”

Dr. Yoo nods. She grabs the clipboard Jisoo left for her, and checks over Soobin’s vitals. Dr. Yoo places the clipboard down, before heading toward Soobin. She checks his heartbeat, before taking a step back to look at him in the eye.

“I’m going to see how much your shoulder hurts, okay?”

Soobin nods this time. To start, Dr. Yoo brushes her fingers against Soobin’s shoulder softly, and to his surprise, it doesn’t hurt. Dr. Yoo’s grip starts getting stronger, and by the third time, Soobin flinches in pain.

“Did that hurt?” she questions.

“Y-yeah,” Soobin mumbles.

“Yeah, I think your shoulder might be dislocated,” Dr. Yoo muses. “Come with me. We’re going to get an x-ray.”

Soobin nods, and he slides off the bed. He follows behind Dr. Yoo without waiting for Yeonjun, and he and the older follow behind the doctor. They arrive in the x-ray room, where Dr. Yoo tells Soobin to lay down under the machine, and puts protection pads on his body to protect him from the radiation. She motions for Yeonjun to follow her, and he does, following her to the room where the computers are. Dr. Yoo starts the x-ray, and they scan Soobin’s shoulder, collar, and arm bones to see what’s wrong. Minutes later, she stops the x-ray, and walks out of the room.

“Is everything okay, doctor?” Yeonjun asks, following behind her.

Dr. Yoo sighs. “Soobin’s shoulder is dislocated. It seems as if it hit something to make it dislocate. Do you know what you hit it against, Soobin?”

Instead of replying, the ravenette glances at Yeonjun. Both he and Soobin know it has to do something with Soobin’s kidnapping, but Yeonjun already made the mistake to tell the receptionist. If they tell Dr. Yoo, she’s going to call the police, and Joy warned them that they better not tell the police, either.

“I-I think I fell during football practice,” Soobin lies. Speaking of which, his eyes widen when he realizes their big game is _this_ upcoming Friday. That’s in four days. 

“Maybe try not to play football for a while,” Dr. Yoo suggests. “If you do, you might end up with a broken shoulder.”

“Isn’t a dislocated and broken shoulder the same?” Yeonjun questions.

“No,” Dr. Yoo replies. “A dislocated shoulder is when the bones on opposite sides of a joint do not line up. A broken one is when the clavicle, proximal humerus, and scapula break apart, hence the name broken shoulder.”

Soobin winces at the mention of his bones breaking apart. “I-I’m glad I have a dislocated shoulder, then.”

“You should be,” Dr. Yoo says. “Anyway, now we’re going to have to fix the bone. Are you okay with that?”

Soobin frowns. “Is that going to hurt?”

“Yes, but you’ll have anesthesia in you,” Dr. Yoo assures. “You won’t feel much pain with it. Are you going to be okay with that?” Hesitantly, Soobin nods, and Dr. Yoo smiles at him to calm him down a bit. “Good. I’ll be back with the anesthesia.”

Soobin nods again, so Dr. Yoo leaves the room, which leaves Soobin and Yeonjun alone. Again. Soobin frowns, cursing Joy in his head for making him be in so much pain.

Although he wants to say something, Yeonjun doesn’t. He keeps his mouth shut, since he knows Soobin will get mad at him if he dares to say anything. Yeonjun sighs to himself, and they both wait until the doctor comes back.

* * *

Almost thirty minutes later, the whole procedure is over. It didn’t hurt as much as Soobin thought it would, which makes him relieved. But it’s mostly because of the anesthesia. If Dr. Yoo didn’t put it in him, he’d be in a lot of pain.

“Well, now that you’re eighteen now, you can take yourself to the doctor,” she says as she returns from getting more forms for Soobin. “I advise that you make an appointment to go to in two weeks to make sure your shoulder is okay. Besides that, you’re free to go, Soobin.”

The ravenette giggles. Soobin has a cotton candy-flavored lollipop in his mouth, especially since he begged Dr. Yoo for one. The anesthesia made him a bit high, which explains why he’s so hyper right now.

“Um, I’ll make sure to remind him,” Yeonjun says, since Soobin doesn’t say anything. “Thanks again, Dr. Yoo.”

The doctor nods. “Have a good night, you two.”

Yeonjun smiles at Dr. Yoo in thanks, before she leaves the room. Yeonjun sighs, and he gets up, holding Soobin’s forms. Although one of the side effects of anesthesia isn't getting high, Soobin somehow got it. And since he’s high in the anesthesia, Soobin doesn’t remember anything that happened before, which means he isn’t mad at Yeonjun. 

“Come on, Bin, let’s go,” he says, grabbing Soobin’s hand. “Rosé-noona’s waiting for us outside.”

Just like she said, Jisoo called Rosé to tell her that Yeonjun is in Buk-gu. Rosé was relieved, and thanked Jisoo, telling her she’d be there soon. Whilst Soobin’s shoulder was getting fixed, Yeonjun got the news that Rosé was here, but he didn’t want to let go of Soobin’s hand, since Soobin wanted him to hold it whilst the procedure happened, so he stayed behind. 

“Yay, Rosé-noona!” Soobin squeals. “I haven’t seen her in a while!”

“Hopefully she doesn’t beat our asses,” Yeonjun mutters under his breath.

Yeonjun makes sure he and Soobin have their stuff, before he grabs Soobin’s hand, leading him out of the room. Soobin walks with Yeonjun happily, sucking on his lollipop. He gapes around the hospital in awe, as if he’s never been here before. Yeonjun knows he has, and finds Soobin cute. Unfortunately, the side effect won’t last forever, so it won’t be long before normal Soobin returns, and he’s mad at Yeonjun again.

Soobin and Yeonjun soon arrive back in the hospital’s waiting room. Once they do, Yeonjun immediately notices Rosé’s strawberry blonde hair by the front desk, and she’s sitting down, impatiently tapping her foot against the floor. Yeonjun gulps, before he hesitantly leads him and Soobin toward Rosé.

“H-hi, noona.”

At her cousin’s voice, Rosé looks up. She narrows her eyes at Yeonjun, before they widen at the sight of Soobin.

“Soobin?” she says in confusion. “You’re here, too?”

“H-hi, noona!” he greets enthusiastically.

“Is he…high?” Rosé asks Yeonjun quietly.

“He took some anesthesia,” he sighs.

“But anesthesia doesn’t make you high,” Rosé frowns.

“I know, but Soobin’s weird,” Yeonjun mumbles.

“Where have you been, noona?” Soobin questions. “Yeonjun-hyung was worrying you would find him, and you did, so congrats!”

“Yeah, congrats to me,” Rosé grumbles, glaring at Yeonjun. “Not so much for Yeonjun. We’re talking once we arrive back home. First, we’re going to drop Soobin off at his house.”

“Nooo,” he groans. Soobin pouts ( _cutely_ , may yeonjun add), clinging onto Yeonjun’s arm. “M-m’don’t want to leave Yeonjunie-hyung.”

Rosé raises an eyebrow. “Weren’t you m-”

“Noona, don’t,” Yeonjun grits out. “I want him to stay like this for a while. I don’t want him mad at me.”

Rosé sighs. “Fine. Let’s go, then.”

“Am I going to have to go home, noona?” Soobin frowns.

“I don’t know, Soobin,” Rosé says. “We’d have to talk with your parents first.”

“Okay!” Soobin agrees excitedly. “Do you want me to give you their number?”

“Um, sure,” Rosé says, surprised at how fast and quickly Soobin was quick to agree.

Soobin smiles, and he takes out his phone to give Rosé his parents’ number. He gives Rosé his mom’s, since she answers more than his dad. Rosé thanks him, and she calls Soobin’s mom to tell her the news. Surprisingly, she wasn’t worried about Soobin’s whereabouts, and agrees that Soobin can stay at Rosé’s and Yeonjun’s house.

“She said you can stay over,” she informs as she hangs up. 

Soobin squeals, wrapping his arms around Yeonjun’s waist from behind. “Yay!”

Yeonjun is a bit surprised, but he smiles, patting the arms around him softly. Rosé seems a bit surprised as well, yet she smiles. 

“Let’s go home, then.”

Soobin and Yeonjun nod, and they follow behind Rosé to her car. Soobin’s arms are still around Yeonjun, so it’s a bit hard for them to walk, but they manage. Once they arrive at Rosé’s car, Yeonjun hands her the keys, and Soobin forces him to sit in the back, so that they can sit together. 

“Are you two ready?” Rosé asks, glancing at them through the rearview mirror.

“We’re all ready, noona,” Yeonjun replies.

Rosé nods, and she shifts the gear to drive to start driving back home. Getting comfortable for the drive, Soobin snuggles against Yeonjun, leaning his head against the bluenette’s shoulder. Only one arm stays around Yeonjun, and the older smiles, leaning his head on top of Soobin. Eventually, the ravenette starts falling asleep, and Yeonjun sighs, since he knows that once Soobin wakes up, his highness will go away, and he’ll be mad at Yeonjun again.

* * *

Almost two hours later, Rosé finally stops in front of her and Yeonjun’s house. Soobin is still asleep surprisingly against Yeonjun’s shoulder, and Yeonjun doesn’t want to wake him up. But he knows he has to, so with a sigh, he lightly shakes Soobin.

“Bin,” Yeonjun whispers. “We’re here. Wake up.”

Soobin stirs. He raises his head from Yeonjun’s shoulder, feeling a bit drowsy. He looks where they’re at, and recognizes it as Yeonjun’s house. Soobin wakes up more at that, wondering why he’s at _Yeonjun’s_ house.

“W-what am I doing here?” Soobin mutters.

“You wanted to be here, Soobin,” Rosé reminds, unbuckling herself.

“I-I’m sure I would remember that,” Soobin says. 

“Y-you were high on anesthesia, remember?” Yeonjun hesitantly speaks up. “Your brain was high on it, so it made you say…things.”

Soobin pales. “L-like what?”

“You didn’t say anything weird,” Rosé assures. “You just said you wanted to be with your ‘Yeonjunie-hyung’, and you didn’t want to go home.”

“O-oh,” Soobin says quietly. He wants to say Yeonjun’s house is the last place he wants to be, but he doesn’t want to be rude to Rosé, so he stays quiet. He hesitantly gets out of the car after Yeonjun, and closes the door behind him. Rosé locks the car, and leads her cousin and Soobin to the front door. Once they arrive, Rosé takes out her keys to unlock the door, and pushes it open after.

“Soobin, can you be a dear, and go upstairs, please?” she asks. “I need to speak with Yeonjun.”

Soobin nods. “S-sure.”

Rosé smiles at him in thanks, and Soobin bows to her shortly, before walking upstairs. He eventually disappears from Rosé’s and Yeonjun’s sight and earshot. Once Rosé makes sure Soobin is completely gone, she glares at Yeonjun.

“What the _hell_ , Choi Yeonjun?” she demands. “What were you _thinking_?”

“I-I’m sorry, noona,” Yeonjun frowns. “I-I know I should’ve told you, but I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“It’s fine if you’re going somewhere close to here,” Rosé says sternly. “Like, to Beomgyu’s or Hueningkai’s house, but somewhere almost _four hours_ away? What the hell, Yeonjun? You _tell_ me things like that, and _especially_ if you’re going alone. You could’ve been kidnapped, or even worse, _killed_ . Were you even thinking, Yeonjun? Oh, I’m so _mad_ at you right now! I could ground you for life!”

Yeonjun bites his bottom lip, looking down at the floor. He wants to tell Rosé that the reason he went to Buk-gu was because Soobin was kidnapped by his psychotic stalker, and Yeonjun had to go save him. But Yeonjun _can’t_ tell Rosé that, or else she’d go to the police, which means Joy would kill her.

“I-I deserve it, noona,” Yeonjun says quietly, bowing. “I-I’m sorry. You can ground me for however long you want. I deserve it. I’m sorry again.”

Rosé sighs, and she glares at Yeonjun. “You’re glad Jisoo called me. I know this doesn’t do much, but you’re giving me your phone. I’m taking it away for two weeks, and you’re not allowed to go anywhere outside this house except school. Hell, you shouldn’t even be allowed to step an _inch_ outside this house. You’re grounded, Choi Yeonjun.”

The bluenette nods, and he bows again. “I’m sorry again.”

“Go up to your room,” Rosé orders. “Brush your teeth, and go to sleep. Give Soobin a spare toothbrush, and tell him he can sleep in the guest bedroom. I know he’s mad at you, but you never know, and no one’s having sex under this roof, and under my watch. Got that?”

Yeonjun nods again, a bit flustered at Rosé’s words. “I-I understand. I’m sorry again, noona. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” she returns with a small huff.

Yeonjun bows to Rosé again, before he finally walks toward the stairs. He can feel tears burning in his eyes, but he blinks them back. Rosé has a right to ground and scold him. He disappeared without telling her where he was going to go, and lied about going home. He made her worry, and if it weren’t for Jisoo calling Rosé, she’d kill him by the time Yeonjun came home.

Yeonjun decides to brush his teeth first and shower, before stepping inside his room. He knows Soobin heard everything Rosé told him, and doesn’t want to confront Soobin yet. Fortunately, Yeonjun always keeps an extra pair of pajamas or comfy clothes in the bathroom across his room for cases like these. After he’s done showering, he changes into the oversized hoodie and black shorts, before walking outside. He takes a deep breath, before walking toward his room. Once he arrives, he hesitantly pushes the door open.

Soobin is sitting down on the chair behind Yeonjun’s desk, typing on his phone. He looks up once he hears the door open, and locks eyes with Yeonjun. This time, the bluenette averts eye contact, and puts his dirty clothes in his laundry. He doesn’t say anything as he walks toward his bathroom, getting a spare toothbrush for Soobin. Yeonjun walks back outside, and places it in front of the younger.

“Y-you can go brush your teeth,” Yeonjun mutters. “Shower, too, if you want. You’ll be sleeping in the guest bedroom.”

Fortunately, Soobin has been to Yeonjun’s house enough times to know where it is. He nods, grabbing the toothbrush. He looks up at Yeonjun, and grabs the older’s hand, before he can walk away.

“Hyung, are you okay?” Soobin finally asks. He can see the tears in Yeonjun’s eyes, and knows Yeonjun is trying to hold them back.

Yeonjun almost breaks down at Soobin’s words, but is able to hold himself back again. “I-I’m fine, Soobin. I-I’m just tired.”

“Hyung, I know you’re lying,” he says. “I heard…”

“-what Rosé-noona told me,” Yeonjun finishes. “I know. I just want to go to sleep, Soobin. I’ve had a long day, and I’m tired.”

Soobin sighs, and he lets go of Yeonjun’s hand. “If you say so, then. Goodnight.”

“G-goodnight,” he returns, walking toward his bed.

Soobin stares at Yeonjun as he situates himself on his bed. Yeonjun doesn’t spare Soobin another glance, pulling the sheets up to his chin. Soobin sighs, and he finally walks out of Yeonjun’s room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

The next morning, Soobin seems to be the last one to wake up. It’s a school day, so he woke up early. Checking the clock on the wall nearby, Soobin notices it’s 6:44 AM. It’s pretty late, so he gets up. He slept in the clothes he wore last night, since Rosé nor Yeonjun gave him any last night. Soobin makes the bed he slept in, before walking out of the guest room, heading downstairs.

Once Soobin arrives, he’s surprised to only see Rosé in the kitchen. She’s eating her breakfast on the kitchen island, whilst typing on her phone. Hearing Soobin’s footsteps, she looks up.

“Oh, morning, Soobin,” she greets. “How’d you sleep?”

“I-I slept fine,” Soobin replies. “Y-you, noona?”

“I slept fine, too,” Rosé says. “Do you want breakfast? I made scrambled eggs and toast.”

“P-please, noona,” Soobin says. He sits down in front of where Rosé was sitting. “N-noona, where’s Yeonjun-hyung?”

“He’s in his room getting ready,” she informs. 

Soobin nods. Rosé soon hands him his plate, and he thanks her. But as he’s about to eat, he notices a bandage wrapped around Rosé’s forearm. Soobin raises an eyebrow. That wasn’t on there before.

“Noona, what happened to your arm?” he asks.

Rosé raises an eyebrow at Soobin, before looking down at her arm. “Oh. I don’t know. I woke up, and there was a huge gash or something on it. It was bleeding, and it stained my bedsheets, so I had to change them.”

“Did you scratch yourself?” Soobin says.

Rosé shakes his head. “No. I don’t know what caused this.”

“Maybe you should go to the doctor,” Soobin suggests.

“Maybe,” Rosé mutters.

Soobin nods. He starts eating his breakfast, and he and Rosé soon hear footsteps coming down the stairs. They eventually near the kitchen, and they both know it’s Yeonjun. But once they look up, they’re surprised to see the bluenette dressed in a white v-neck blouse french tucked into black ripped jeans, and a black choker around his neck. The blouse shows too much of his collarbone and chest. It’s even too big for him that it falls off his shoulder. His face is full of makeup, but not too much that it makes him look puffy and fake. Just pink glittery eyeshadow, mascara, eyeliner, and red lipgloss.

“Yeonjun, why are you wearing that?” Rosé demands.

“I feel comfortable in it,” Yeonjun mumbles. “Do you have a problem with it, noona?”

Rosé sighs. She thinks Yeonjun’s outfit shows too much skin (and is a bit slutty), but she knows she can’t make Yeonjun change out of it. She shakes her head, and goes back to eating her breakfast. Yeonjun serves himself some, and Soobin finds himself not being able to look away from how _nicely_ the jeans he’s wearing hug his ass so well.

Yeonjun sits down to eat, and Rosé finishes eating before him and Soobin. She places her plate in the sink, before turning to Soobin and Yeonjun. She takes something out of her pocket, placing it in front of them.

“This was on my nightstand when I woke up,” she says. “It’s addressed to both of you.”

“Both of us?” Soobin repeats. “Do you know who sent it, noona?”

“No,” Rosé replies. “I didn’t want to intrude, so I didn’t open it. I’ll be upstairs to continue getting ready.”

Soobin’s the only one who nods. He glances at Yeonjun, noticing that the bluenette is also staring at the note. Soobin sighs, and he grabs it. He notices his and Yeonjun’s name written on the paper in nice cursive, and he wonders who wrote it. Soobin unfolds the paper, and places it down on the table, so he and Yeonjun can read it:

_Since you guys ignored what I said last night, Rosie woke up with a gash on her arm. It’s infected, too, so she’ll be in a lot of pain. Maybe even die if she doesn’t go to the doctor on time._

_Time to start acting like a couple, guys._

_With much love,  
Joy ❤️ _


	18. Hospital

Soobin finishes reading the note with slightly wide eyes. He feels anger rising in him, but he tries to hold himself back. Next to him, he notices anger flashing in Yeonjun’s eyes, and as Soobin’s eyes trail down, he can see Yeonjun clenching the fabric of his jeans so tightly, his knuckles turn white.

Now, Soobin has never seen Yeonjun angry before—Yeonjun is always so happy and perky—so to say that he’s getting a bit scared of Yeonjun is an understatement.

“That bitch,” he scowls. Yeonjun turns toward Soobin, surprising him. “Did you see a gash on noona’s arm?”

“N-no, but she had a bandage wrapped around it,” he replies, a bit quietly.

Yeonjun exhales angrily. He slides off his chair, shoving the note into his pocket. He walks upstairs, and Soobin finds himself following behind Yeonjun. The two arrive in Rosé’s room, and Yeonjun almost falls to his knees when he sees her lying down on the floor, blood seeping through the bandage on her arm.

“Chaeyoung!” Yeonjun exclaims, quickly heading toward her. He checks Rosé’s pulse, and is relieved that it’s still beating. It’s weak, but at least it’s there. He looks up at Soobin through panicked and teary eyes. “C-call 911.”

Soobin nods, and is quick to take out his phone. He calls 911, and explains the situation. The operator assures him the ambulance will be there soon, and whilst they wait, Soobin and Yeonjun try to stop the blood on Rosé’s arm. Nothing they do stops it, though, and it isn’t long before tears start streaming down Yeonjun’s face.

Fortunately, the ambulance arrives ten minutes later. The paramedics storm inside the house, and Soobin calls out that they’re upstairs in the first room to your left. The paramedics follow his voice, and they bring Rosé onto a stretcher. 

“I-is she going to be okay?” Yeonjun asks as he follows behind the paramedics.

“We don’t know yet, sir,” one of them answers. “Are you a family member?”

Yeonjun nods frantically. “I-I’m her cousin. P-please, tell me she’s going to be okay.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t promise anything,” the paramedic says.

Yeonjun’s bottom lip quivers, and tears clump around his eyelashes, making his vision blurry. His body starts shaking, and he lets out a small whimper, before it turns into a muffled sob. Then, he breaks down. Soobin’s eyes widen, and for a second, he just stands there. But then he snaps out of it, and is quick to engulf Yeonjun into a hug. Yeonjun wants to pull away, yet he doesn’t, since he wants someone to remind him this is real. 

And just like a few days ago, Yeonjun cries against Soobin’s chest once again.

* * *

Three hours later, Soobin and Yeonjun find themselves in the hospital’s waiting room. Rosé has been in surgery for over three hours, and everyone’s surprised that she had to go there for just a gash. But it did turn out to be pretty infected, since it had  staphylococcus aureus strains. The doctor, Dr. Im, told Soobin and Yeonjun that if they hadn’t taken Rosé to the hospital sooner, she would’ve died.

Now the two have been waiting impatiently for  _ five _ hours. They haven’t heard anything from Dr. Im for the past two hours and a half, and they desperately want to know how Rosé’s doing. Speaking of which, Soobin even had to call their school to tell them he, Yeonjun, and Rosé won’t make it today.

Fortunately, they hear footsteps approaching the room, and they look up, relieved to see Dr. Im. Yeonjun quickly stands up, and walks toward the doctor.

“H-how is my cousin doing, Dr. Im?” he asks.

“She’s recovering,” she informs. “We were able to take the bacteria out in time, and she’s just sleeping. 

“C-can we go see her?” Soobin says.

“Yes, of course. She’s in room 311.”

Yeonjun sighs in relief, and doesn’t thank the doctor, before rushing toward the room Rose is in. Soobin follows behind him, and once they arrive, they can see Rosé sleeping soundly in a hospital bed, dressed in a hospital gown. She has a bandage around her arm again, but this time, it’s accompanied by a sling. Yeonjun sighs in relief again, and tears well up in his eyes. He walks toward Rosé, grabbing the hand that isn’t harmed.

“Oh, I’m so glad you’re okay,” he mutters, sniffling. “D-don’t you dare die on me, noona.”

Soobin lets out a soft smile. He walks out of the room to let Rosé and Yeonjun have privacy, and closes the door behind him. For the past five hours, he and Yeonjun have gotten multiple texts from Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai, asking where they are. Soobin made the mistake to tell them they’re at the hospital, and ever since, the younger three have spammed his and Yeonjun’s phone. Soobin figures now’s the time to tell them what’s going on. He dials Beomgyu’s number first, and waits for him to pick up.

Beomgyu does a few seconds later. “Hyung,” he says frantically. “Are you and Yeonjun-hyung okay? What happened? No one died, right?”

“E-everything’s fine, Beom,” Soobin assures. “We just came to the hospital because Rosé-noona had to go into surgery.”

“What?” Beomgyu says, surprised. “What happened?”

“I’ll explain once you guys arrive,” Soobin says. 

“Hyung, school ends in thirty minutes,” Beomgyu reminds. “Can’t you tell me now?”

“No, because Tae and Hyuka aren’t with you,” Soobin says. “Just finish school, come here, and we’ll explain everything.”

“Okay,” Beomgyu sighs. “How’s…Yeonjun-hyung doing?”

“Not that great,” Soobin mutters, running his fingers through his raven hair. “He’s been crying all day, and just now he let go of me.”

“So, you two aren’t mad at each other anymore?” Beomgyu asks.

“It’s…complicated.” 

“Hm, okay,” Beomgyu says. “We’ll be there soon, then, hyung.”

“Okay,” Soobin says. “Bye, Beom.”

“Bye,” he returns, before the two end their call.

Soobin sighs. He checks the time; two-eighteen p.m. He and Yeonjun have been here in the hospital ever since eight a.m. They missed their entire day of school, Soobin missed an opportunity to practice for his big game with his team, and Rosé almost  _ died _ just because Joy got mad that he and Yeonjun forgot to act like a couple? Such bullshit.

_ God, I wish we never met her _ , he grumbles to himself. Soobin puts his phone away, and decides to grab a coffee or something for him and Yeonjun. Soobin walks toward the nearest vending machine, and somehow, he has his wallet in his pocket. He takes it out, grabbing three dollars. He grabs cookies for himself, and a bottle of coffee, and a bag of candy for Yeonjun.

Soobin walks back toward Rosé’s hospital room with the snacks and drink in his hands. Once he arrives, he opens the door, making Yeonjun look up at him. There are tear marks on Yeonjun’s face, and his face looks puffy and flushed from crying. Soobin sends him a small smile, closing the door behind him.

“I got us some snacks,” Soobin says.

Yeonjun nods. “Th-thanks.”

Soobin smiles at him, placing the snacks down on the table next to Rosé, figuring Yeonjun doesn’t want to eat them right now. But as he’s doing so, Soobin notices a white neatly folded paper on the table already. He recognizes it, and feels anger rising in him again. He grabs the paper, seeing his and Yeonjun’s name written in nice cursive.

“W-what is that?” he hears Yeonjun ask.

“N-nothing,” Soobin mutters, not wanting Yeonjun to worry any more than he already is. “J-just a note I wrote to myself.”

“S-Soobin, we both know you’re lying,” he says. “What is it?”

Soobin sighs in defeat. He turns the paper around to show the neat cursive to Yeonjun. “Soo-young wrote us another note.”

“Again?” 

“I guess so,” Soobin sighs. He unfolds the paper, before walking toward Yeonjun, so they can read the note together:

_ Oh, I’m so glad you guys took Rosie to the hospital on time! But you two still haven’t acted like a couple yet, so maybe I should just do more extreme measures. You two have two hours to act like a couple, or your mom gets it this time, Soobin. It’s 1:35 PM, so you two have until 3:35. _

_ Remember, I  _ always  _ have my eyes on both of you. _

_ With much love,  _ _   
_ _ Joy ❤️ _

“Oh, that little fucking bitch,” Yeonjun scowls. He wants to rip the paper piece by piece, but knows he can’t, since that’ll just get Joy madder. 

“S-Soo-young’s dangerous, Yeonjun-hyung,” Soobin reminds. “W-we both know she will attack my mom this time.”

“And we only have until 3:35,” Yeonjun adds. “That’s in four minutes.”

Soobin looks down at Yeonjun, the older looking back at him. The two, especially Soobin, don’t want to do this, but they have no choice. Hesitantly, they lean in, but Soobin decides to just go for it, and slams his and Yeonjun’s lips together. Yeonjun’s eyes widen, but he isn’t complaining. He grips the fabric of Soobin’s shirt, pulling him closer, and wraps his arm around Soobin’s neck. Soobin does the same to Yeonjun’s waist, and the two kiss passionately until they run out of air. As they pull away, they both breathe heavily, staring at each other. Yeonjun is the first one to break, giving Soobin a small smile. Soobin can’t help but return it.

For the next thirty minutes, Soobin and Yeonjun stay in Rosé’s hospital room, watching over her. She stays sleeping, and Yeonjun doesn’t have Jisoo’s number to tell her the news. He could always go on Rosé's phone—the two trust each other enough to give each other their passwords—but they left Rosé’s phone at their house. 

Finally, thirty-five minutes later, the door is slammed open, surprising them. Soobin and Yeonjun look toward whom opened the door, relieved to see Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Kai.

“W-we’re here,” Taehyun announces, slightly panting. “I-is-” 

Taehyun stops talking. Soobin and Yeonjun wonder why he stopped, but then notice that the younger three are all looking at them. Looking down, Soobin and Yeonjun remember their hands are interlocked, and resting on Yeonjun’s thigh. You don’t have to be dumb to realize they’re dating.

“Y-you two are…dating?” Kai is the first one to break the silence.

“Um…yeah,” Soobin replies. “Surprise!”

Beomgyu is probably the most confused out of the three of them. “I-I thought you two…” 

“Weren’t you two mad at each other?” Taehyun finishes for his boyfriend.

“We were, but we came to an understanding with each other,” Yeonjun lies. “And now here we are, a happy couple.”

“Are you sure you meant ‘happy’, hyung?” Hueningkai asks.

“Yeah,” Yeonjun says. He snuggles against Soobin’s side. “I love being Soobinie’s boyfriend. Finally.”

Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Kai look at each other.

“U-uh, congrats, then, hyungs,” Beomgyu says, clearing his throat. “We’re happy for you guys.”

“Thanks, Beom,” Soobin says with a small smile.

Beomgyu nods, and he and the youngest two step inside Rosé’s hospital room, Taehyun closing the door behind them.

“S-so what happened to Rose-noona?” he questions.

Yeonjun tenses up at the mention of what happened to Rosé, but he pushes the thought to the back of his head. “U-uh, she fell, and…broke her arm.”

“Hyung, you are the worst liar I’ve ever met,” Hueningkai states.

“He’s telling the truth, Hyuka,” Soobin steps in. “Rosé was putting away groceries, and she had to put some on top of the fridge, so she grabbed a ladder. But her foot slipped, and she fell. Luckily, she just broke her arm.”

“Then why is she out like a light?” Beomgyu asks.

“Because of the meds,” Yeonjun replies. It’s partially true, anyway.

Kai nods. “Is she going to be okay?”

“Hopefully, Hyuka,” Soobin mutters.

* * *

Fortunately, it doesn’t take long for Rosé to wake up. She wakes up two hours later—around four-thirty p.m. Soobin and Taehyun are the first ones to notice, since Yeonjun, Beomgyu, and Kai went to get some food from the hospital’s cafeteria. Soobin and Taehyun were talking about school stuff, before they heard something move on Rosé’s bed. They look up, seeing Rosé’s eyes slowly flutter open. They gasp, and are quick to stand up.

“N-noona.” Taehyun is the first to speak. “Y-you’re awake.”

“T-Tae?” Rosé stares at the blonde in confusion. “W-what are you doing here? W-where am I?”

“You’re at the hospital, noona,” Soobin informs. 

Rosé’s eyes widen. “I-I am?”

Taehyun nods. “Yeah. You passed out, and broke your arm. That’s why you have a sling on your arm.”

Rosé looks down at her arm. “I-I do?”

“Yeah,” Soobin confirms. “The doctor says you’re going to be fine, though.”

Rosé nods, before she remembers her cousin. “W-where’s Yeonjun? Is he okay?”

“He’s fine, noona,” Taehyun assures. “He just went with Beomgyu-hyung and Kai to get food from the cafeteria.”

Rosé sighs in relief. “Thank god. Did I go into surgery?”

“Yeah,” Soobin replies. “Speaking of which, let me go call the doctor.”

Rosé and Taehyun nod. Soobin leaves the room, and he’s just in time to see Yeonjun, Beomgyu, and Hueningkai coming back. The three laugh at something Yeonjun says, but look up when they see Soobin.

“Bin?” Yeonjun says. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to call the doctor,” Soobin answers. “Rosé-noona’s awake.”

Yeonjun’s eyes widen. He then starts running toward Rosé’s hospital room, stepping inside. Soobin, Beomgyu, and Kai smile, before they separate ways. Soobin goes to the front desk on the floor they’re on, and the receptionist looks up once he hears her.

“Hi, sweetie,” she greets. “May I help you?”

“Yeah,” Soobin replies. “My…boyfriend’s cousin, Park Chaeyoung, woke up.”

“Park Chaeyoung,” the receptionist mutters, typing the name into her computer. She then nods as Rosé’s information loads onto her computer. “Okay, sweetie. Her doctor will be right there.”

Soobin nods this time. “Thank you.”

The receptionist smiles at him, and Soobin smiles back, before he walks back to Rosé’s room. Once he arrives, he’s surprised to see Dr. Im barely arriving at the room.

“Oh, hi, Dr. Im,” Soobin greets. “I didn’t think you’d be here so fast.”

“I was just around the corner,” Dr. Im explains. Soobin nods. He and Dr. Im walk inside Rosé’s room, and Dr. Im smiles once her eyes land on her patient. “Glad to see you’re awake, Rosé. We were pretty worried about you.”

“Hm, I was worried about myself, too,” she agrees. 

Dr. Im chuckles. “Well, I’m happy to say you’ll be released tomorrow. Your arm is okay, and with a few weeks of taking meds, it’ll be back to normal.”

Rosé nods, figuring the meds are vitamins for her broken bone to be stronger and heal faster. “Okay. What time am I going to be released tomorrow?”

“Whenever you want,” Dr. Im replies. “Just press the red button behind your bed, and we’ll sign your release papers.”

Rosé nods again. She and Dr. Im continue speaking until someone calls the doctor, and she excuses herself to leave. That leaves Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai alone.

“I’m so glad you turned out to be okay, noona.” Yeonjun is the first to speak up. “I was worried sick.”

“He was,” Soobin agrees. “He kept crying.”

“Shut up, Bin,” Yeonjun grumbles.

“No, you.”

Rosé raises an eyebrow at them. “You guys aren’t…mad at each other?”

“They’re not,” Beomgyu answers for them. “They’re even  _ dating.” _

Rosé’s eyes widen, and she looks between Soobin and Yeonjun in shock, her mouth open a bit. “Y-you guys are  _ dating _ ?”

“Um, yeah,” Soobin says. He wraps his arm around Yeonjun’s waist, pulling him closer. 

“I-I thought you guys were mad at each other,” Rosé mutters.

“We thought that, too, but apparently they fixed things with each other,” Taehyun says.

“Oh,” Rosé says. A small smile then grows on her face, but she still finds Soobin’s and Yeonjun’s ‘relationship’ too sudden and fast. “Congrats, then, guys. You’re still grounded, though, Yeonjun.”

“You’re grounded, hyung?” Kai asks, surprised.

“Um, yeah,” Yeonjun says sheepishly. “I got in trouble for not telling noona I went to Jinju-si.”

“I thought you went because she told you to,” Hueningkai says.

Yeonjun smiles sheepishly. “Y-yeah. I lied about that.”

Kai rolls his eyes. “I asked you if you were lying, and you said no, hyung.”

“I didn’t want to worry you, Kai,” Yeonjun says. “Sorry for lying to you.”

“Are you guys done?” Rosé states. “I’m hungry, and I want kimchi stew.”

“We’ll go get you it, then,” Soobin assures. “Are you feeling okay, though, noona?”

“Yeah,” Rosé says. “Get me my food.”

Soobin chuckles, and he nods. Yeonjun decides to go with him, leaving Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai alone. Luckily, Beomgyu and Kai have known Rosé longer than Yeonjun has, so they’re not awkward around her. Yeonjun quickly follows behind Soobin, especially since the younger uses his long legs to walk at his own speed.

“Hey, Bin, wait up,” Yeonjun calls out.

At first, Soobin ignores Yeonjun. But then remembers they have to act like a couple, so he stops, waiting for Yeonjun. The older soon catches up to him, and they smile at each other. Soobin’s is forced, since he still doesn’t want to be even an inch near Yeonjun.

“Are coming with me, hyung?” Soobin asks.

Yeonjun nods. “Yeah. Is that okay with you?”

_ No.  _ “Of course.”

Yeonjun smiles, and he interlocks his and Soobin’s hands. The two start walking toward the hospital’s cafeteria in silence, except for the casual noises in a hospital. That is until an idea comes to Yeonjun’s head, and he looks at Soobin.

“You know, we should probably come up with nicknames for each other,” Yeonjun says.

“Why?” 

“To make it more believable that we’re dating,” Yeonjun says as if it isn’t obvious.

“You already call me ‘Bin’, ‘Soobs’, ‘Binnie’, and ‘Soobinie’,” he says. “What other nicknames can you call me?”

“No, like coupley nicknames,” Yeonjun explains. “Like, I can call you babe, and you call me sweetheart, or some shit.”

At the mention of calling Yeonjun a lovely nickname, Soobin remembers how he used to call Yeonjun ‘kitten.’ He only called Yeonjun ‘kitten’ twice, though, because, after that, Yeonjun made the mistake to say that he only used Soobin for a bet and some cash. 

“I’ll call you ‘kitten’, then,” he says, making Yeonjun’s heart warm. “I was calling you that already, anyway.”

Yeonjun nods. “I’ll call you…my love.”

Soobin nods this time, not knowing what to say to that. He turns his head, so Yeonjun won’t see how red his face is. Yeonjun already knows that Soobin is blushing, though, so he lets out a small smirk. They soon reach the cafeteria, and grab Rose’s kimchi stew, before walking back to her room.


	19. That’s Kinda Sus Tho

Since visiting hours don’t last forever, only Yeonjun gets to stay with Rosé. Dr. Im tells Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai that they have to leave, because visiting hours are over. The four say bye to Yeonjun and Rosé, telling her to get better soon, and that they’ll see each other tomorrow, before they walk out of the hospital. As they do, they realize that it’s now nighttime. Taking out his phone, Soobin is surprised to see that it’s already  _ 8:26 PM _ . 

“Damn, it’s late,” he mutters.

Beomgyu looks at Soobin with an eyebrow raised. “What time is it?”

“Almost eight-thirty.” 

Taehyun rolls his eyes. “It’s not that late, hyung.”

“Soobin-hyung thinks any time past six p.m. is late,” Kai sighs, shrugging. “He’s just weird like that.”

“Hey,” Soobin frowns.

Hueningkai giggles, smiling sheepishly. “Love you, hyung.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Soobin mumbles. “Speaking of which, Beom, Hyuka, you two have to go to sleep early. Our big game is on Friday.”

“Oh, shit, I forgot about that,” Beomgyu curses. “We all skipped practice today.”

“Which means we have to stay after school tomorrow to practice some more,” Soobin says. “I don’t want to stay at school any longer than I have to.”

Taehyun giggles. “Don’t you have a student council meeting, too, hyung?”

“Fuck, I forgot about that,” Soobin says. He takes out his phone, going to the group chat between him and his student council members. He purses his lips when he sees that his members have been spamming him, asking him where he is. He quickly types an apology to them, and that he promises to be in their next meeting tomorrow. “I’m screwed.”

“So, you’re with Yeonjun-hyung now, huh?” Kai says smugly.

“I am,” Soobin says, ignoring the look Hueningkai has. “Never been happier.”

“It’s still a bit weird to me, though,” Beomgyu says. “But whatever. Your life, hyung.”

“Did something happen?” Taehyun slowly asks.

“Soobin-hyung just…isn’t lucky with love,” Kai partially explains. “So it’s a surprise to both Beomgyu-hyung and I that he’s dating again.”

Taehyun nods. “Yeah, to me, too. You seemed pretty heartbroken yesterday, hyung.”

“That happened yesterday?!” Soobin exclaims, his eyes growing wide.

“Yeah,” Beomgyu says, looking at Soobin weirdly. “That’s why Kai, Tyun, and I were surprised that you and Yeonjun-hyung were dating already.”

Soobin nods. “Y-you know how indecisive we can be.”

“Did you take your own car, hyung?” Taehyun questions, deciding to change the subject.

“No,” Soobin replies. “Hyung and I came here in the ambulance. Whose car did you guys take?”

“Mine.” Despite being only sixteen, Hueningkai already has his own car. His older sister and parents just prefer picking him up, than letting him drive himself home. “Do you want me to drop you home, then, hyung?”

“Yup. I wanna go home, and I miss my home,” Soobin says with a small sigh.

“Have your parents or siblings called you?” Beomgyu inquires. They’ve already gotten in Kai’s car, and Hueningkai is barely turning it on.

“No, they haven’t,” Soobin answers. “Surprisingly. Usually, they would be spamming me with calls and texts. Especially my mom.”

“Maybe they know you’re okay?” Taehyun tries.

“Maybe,” Soobin mutters, even though he doubts it.

* * *

“Thanks for dropping me off, Hyuka,” he says once the youngest parks in front of his house (mansion).

“Of course, hyung,” Kai says. “See you tomorrow.”

Soobin nods, unbuckling himself. “Remember to sleep early. Bye, guys.”

“Bye, hyung,” the younger three return in unison.

Soobin smiles at them, before getting out of the car. He walks toward the front porch of his house, and nears the front door. He doesn’t have his keys, since they were in his car—speaking of which, he still has to get it from school—so he rings the doorbell. A few seconds later, his sister, Ah-In, opens the door.

“Soobin,” she says, surprised. “What are you doing here?”

“What do you mean what am I doing here?” Soobin frowns. “This is my house. Weren’t you worried where I was?”

“I thought you were sleeping over at Beomgyu’s house,” Ah-In mumbles.

“No?” Soobin looks at her in confusion. “Where’s mom and dad?”

“Uh, mom’s the only one here,” she says. “She’s upstairs in her room.”

Soobin nods, and he leaves Ah-In to walk upstairs. He nears his parents’ room, and since the door is closed, he knocks on the door.

“Come in,” his mom allows.

Soobin pushes the door open, seeing his mom at her desk, working. She’s dressed in sweats, her raven hair up in a messy bun, and glasses on her face. She doesn’t look up once the door opens, continuing to work.

“Mom?” Soobin calls out.

At her son’s voice, his mom looks up. She smiles once she sees Soobin. “Hi, honey. I didn’t know you were coming back today.”

“Coming back from where?” 

“Beomgyu’s house.” 

“I wasn’t at Beomgyu’s house,” Soobin says, his confusion growing. “Who told you that?”

“You weren’t at Beomgyu’s house?” his mom says, raising an eyebrow. “Where were you, then, Choi Soobin?”

The raven-haired male curses under his breath. He forgot he can’t tell anyone anything, even his mom. 

“U-uh, I mean, I  _ was  _ at Beomgyu’s house,” he lies. 

“Choi Soobin, tell me the truth.”

The ravenette sighs in defeat. “Fine. I was at Hyuka’s house.”

“That’s literally no different than being at Beomgyu’s house,” Soobin’s mom sighs. “I’m glad you’re back, honey. Are you hungry?”

At the mention of it, Soobin’s stomach grumbles.

“I-I am,” he replies. “Is there food downstairs?”

His mom nods. “I made fried chicken, ramen, and some japchae.”

Soobin’s stomach grumbles louder. “O-okay, thanks, mom. Where’s dad?”

“He’s still at work,” Soobin’s mom sighs. “He’ll be here soon.”

Soobin nods, before he leaves his parents’ room. As he walks downstairs, he realizes why his parents weren’t spamming his phone, and worrying about him. They thought he was at Beomgyu’s house, safe and sound, so that’s why they didn’t worry about him, since they know Soobin would be okay at Beomgyu’s house. Especially since Beomgyu is one of Soobin’s best friends.

Soobin just wonders who told his parents and Ah-In that.

* * *

The next day, Soobin is at school already by six-thirty a.m. He would’ve been there earlier, but the school gates don’t open until six-thirty. Soobin arrives first, before Beomgyu and Hueningkai arrive. The rest of their team arrive as well, and they all practice for their big game in three days. They finish their practice just thirty minutes before classes start. They head to the locker room to shower, and change out of their sweaty clothes.

Soobin is one of the first to get out, and as he pulls a pair of boxers up his legs, his phone starts ringing. He grabs it from his bag, surprised to see that it’s Yeonjun who's calling him, and he wants to FaceTime. With a sigh, Soobin answers the call.

“Hi, kitten,” he greets with a smile.

Since he wasn’t expecting Soobin to call him ‘kitten’ so fast, Yeonjun turns a light shade of red. Soobin notices, and he can’t help but let out a small chuckle. 

“H-hi,” Yeonjun returns in a small voice. “Oh my god, did you have to call me that so fucking fast? It’s barely seven-thirty in the morning, Soobin.”

The younger smiles sheepishly. “You are my boyfriend, after all.”

“Yeah, and wow, are you naked?” Yeonjun asks, barely noticing Soobin’s naked,  _ wet  _ chest.

“Yeah,” he replies. “I finished practice with my team, and we were all sweaty, so we showered.”

“The practice must’ve been good, then,” Yeonjun says. “That reminds me, you guys have your big game on Friday.”

“We do,” Soobin agrees, sighing. “I’m a bit nervous, hyung.”

Yeonjun smiles. Now that Soobin didn’t call him kitten, Yeonjun knows he’s looking for comfort. 

“Hey, you’ll do fine, Soobin,” Yeonjun assures. “You got this. You’re the most amazing quarterback I know, and that’s speaking a lot, because I know a few pretty good quarterbacks.”

Soobin rolls his eyes, but lets out a laugh. Although he’s still mad at Yeonjun, the elder has always known how to cheer Soobin up.

“The only quarterback you know is me, hyung,” he says.

“Not true,” Yeonjun frowns. “I watch football on the TV sometimes.”

Soobin rolls his eyes. “Whatever you say, hyung. How’s noona doing?”

“Fine,” Yeonjun answers. “She’s barely getting released right now.”

Soobin nods. “So you’re not going to school today again, right?”

“Right,” Yeonjun concurs. “Speaking of which, can you be a dear, and bring me the notes for each class you have with me, my love?”

Soobin wasn’t expecting Yeonjun to call him ‘my love’ so quickly, but he doesn’t get as flustered as Yeonjun did. Instead, Soobin releases a small smirk. 

“Of course, kitten,” he says. “I’ll be at your house after my student council meeting.”

“Thank you,” Yeonjun says. “See you later, my love. Bye.”

“Bye, kitten.”

To Soobin’s surprise, Yeonjun blows him a kiss, before ending their call. This time, Soobin gets flustered. He feels his face heat up, and by the reflection on the black screen on his phone, he can see that his face is red. And it seems like he’s not the only one who notices, since a few of his teammates chuckle at him. To make matters worse, Beomgyu and Kai step out of the shower stalls, steam following behind them, and towels wrapped around their waists, their skin and hair shining with water.

“Hyung?” Beomgyu says. “Why is your face red?”

“N-no reason,” Soobin mutters. He places his phone down on the bench, pulling up a pair of black joggers up his long legs. “J-just a bit hot on here, you know?”

Hueningkai chuckles, walking toward his locker. “It’s probably because of Yeonjun-hyung.”

“It is so not,” Soobin frowns. “It’s just…hot in here.”

“Mhm, sure.” Beomgyu and Kai don’t believe him.

Soobin rolls his eyes. “Whatever. Believe me or not.”

Beomgyu laughs. “We’re just messing around with you, hyung. Anyway, practice today was good.”

“Yeah,” Hueningkai agrees. “If I just continue throwing the ball like that, Beomgyu-hyung runs as fast as he did today, and Soobin-hyung is just himself during football, I’m sure we’ll win on Friday.”

“Hopefully, Hyuka,” he says, pulling on a black hoodie. “You guys aren’t aiming for a scholarship, right?”

Beomgyu shakes his head. “Nope. I don’t think I even want to go to college.”

“I am,” Kai says. “It’s been my mom’s dream for her children to go to college, and since Lea doesn’t want to go, I’ll go for the three of us.”

“You are such an angel, Hyuka,” Soobin says proudly. 

Hueningkai smiles smugly. “I know.”

* * *

During the next two hours, Soobin is glad he doesn’t see Joy. If he did, he would’ve shown her a lesson with his fist. He doesn’t even care if that would get him expelled. Joy is basically controlling his and Yeonjun’s life for what? Just to get back at them for something stupid? 

But those feelings of relief that Soobin had about Joy quickly go down the drain once his fourth period starts.

Sitting in the second row is Park Soo-young, dressed nicely in a red long-sleeve button-up blouse tucked into a black skirt, black ankle wrapped heels on her feet. Her raven hair is straightened, but curled at the tips. Her face has a bit of makeup on, and her ears have dangly earrings hanging from them.

Soobin feels disgusted once he sees Joy.

However, Soobin plans on ignoring her, so he heads toward his seat. Fortunately, it’s in the third row, so Joy probably won’t see him. Soobin sits down in his seat, but as if she’s a witch or something, Joy turns around automatically, a sweet smile plastered on her beautiful sickly features. 

“Hi, Soobin,” she greets. “Long time no see.”

Soobin ignores Joy. She’s sitting in the second row; he’s in the third. He’s sitting in the seventh seat; she’s sitting on the fifth. But she quickly sits down on the chair in front of Soobin, smiling sweetly at him.

(the teacher, somehow, isn’t here yet, even though class started five minutes ago.)

“Soobin, I’m talking to you.”

The ravenette ignores Joy again.

Joy sighs, rolling her eyes. She takes out her phone, and shows the screen to Soobin.

“If you keep on ignoring me, I’ll just tell my lovely worker to kill Yeonjun and Rosie.”

Immediately, Soobin’s head snaps up, his eyes landing on the screen of Joy's phone. There he can see Rosé and Yeonjun walking out of the hospital, unbeknownst that someone is recording and following behind them. Soobin glares daggers at Joy.

“You leave Rosé-noona and Yeonjun alone,” he snaps. “They’ve done nothing to you.”

“Rosie hasn’t,” Joy partially agrees. “Yeonjun on the other hand…”

“What do you want, Soo-young?” Soobin sighs.

Joy shrugs, leaning against the back of the chair. “Nothing. Just wanted to talk. Last time, we didn’t have enough time.”

“We’re in class, Soo-young,” Soobin states. “The teacher’s going to be here any minute.”

“No, she’s not,” Joy says. “I killed her.”

Soobin’s eyes widen, and he starts choking on his saliva. Joy continues to smile, and she hands Soobin a water bottle. He makes the mistake of grabbing it, unscrewing the cap, and taking a sip, but he immediately spits the water out. Unfortunately (for soobin), the water doesn’t hit Joy’s face, since she protects it with her backpack. 

“W-what the fuck, Soo-young?” Soobin says, coughing. 

“What?” 

“You  _ killed  _ our math teacher?” Soobin says quietly.

“Yeah, so?”

“Soo-young, why did you  _ kill  _ an innocent woman?” Soobin hisses. “She did nothing to you.”

“She was annoying,” Joy frowns. “Kind of a creep if you think about it. But at least we have more time to ourselves. How’s Yeonjunie’s doing?”

Soobin glares at Joy. “Don’t call him that.”

The older rolls her eyes. “Right. I forgot only  _ you  _ can have nicknames for Yeonjun. Whatever.”

“Just leave me alone, Soo-young,” Soobin sighs. “You’re already controlling mine and Yeonjun’s lives. Don’t you think you’ve done enough?”

“Oh, Soobinie, I’m only getting started,” Joy says with a small, ‘cute’ pout. “You and Yeonjun don’t know what I have in store for the both of you. But it will be after the dance, that’s for sure.”

“That’s next week,” Soobin says.

“Exactly, Soobinie!” Joy coos. “Oh, you’re so smart.”

“Leave us alone, Soo-young,” Soobin demands. “I know you claim we did, but we’ve done nothing to you for you to do this.”

“Soobinie, Soobinie, Soobinie.” Joy sighs, shaking her head. “You don’t get it, do you? I take back what I said about being smart. Just wait for what I have in store for you and Yeonjun, Soobin. It’ll be amazing. Well, for me, at least.”

“Whatever, Soo-young,” he frowns. “Just leave me alone.”

“I can’t do that,” Joy says. “Ms. Choi’s dead, so we have the rest of the period to ourselves, and I want to spend that time with you.”

* * *

After all his classes end, Soobin heads toward the room next to the office for his student council meeting. When he arrives, he’s the first one to arrive, which is normal, since he always gets there earlier than the rest. Especially since he’s the president. He sets a few things up for the meeting, and waits for the rest of the members to arrive.

“As usual, the president is always here first.”

At the voice, Soobin looks up, smiling when he recognizes the two members who walked in: Park Jihyo and Mark Tuan.

“Hi, hyung, noona,” Soobin greets. “Glad to see you guys again.”

“Likewise, Soobin,” Jihyo returns. “Why couldn’t you make it yesterday?”

“Family emergency,” Soobin lies. “Sorry for not telling you guys.”

“It’s okay,” Mark says. “Just please don’t do it again. We were worried sick about you.”

“Yeah,” Jihyo agrees. “Especially since you never miss a meeting.”

“What can you expect? He's Mr. Perfect and Mr. President.”

Turning around, the three see Jeon Jeongguk entering the room. Jeongguk’s the vice president, and whilst he can be strict at times, people still love him.

“Hi, hyung,” Soobin chuckles. “And I’m not ‘Mr. Perfect.’”

“Sometimes you can be,” Mark says. 

Soobin rolls his eyes playfully. “Yeah, yeah. Take your seats, and we’ll start the meeting when the rest arrive.”

Jeongguk, Jihyo, and Mark nod, sitting down on the table in the room. Almost ten minutes later, the room is filled with the student council members. After he makes sure everyone is here, Soobin starts the meeting. It’s mostly about what they agree and disagree about the winter dance decorations, the dance itself, etc. Almost thirty minutes later, they’re almost done with the meeting. One of the members is up explaining something, whilst Soobin sits down to listen to them speak. But the member is soon interrupted, since there’s a knock on the door, making everyone look up.

“Oh, hello, Mr. Choi,” Soobin greets, standing up, and bowing to the principal.

(aka yeonjun’s dad.)

“We didn’t expect you to be here.” 

“Me neither, but here I am,” he says. “How’s everything going?”

“Everything’s going fine,” Soobin replies. “No need to worry, Mr. Choi.”

The principal nods. “Well, I’d like to be here as well if you guys don’t mind.”

“Of course we don’t,” Soobin says. He motions to the chair he was sitting on. “You can sit down if you’d like.”

“Thank you, Soobin,” Mr. Choi says, sitting down. “I can see why my son is dating you.”

At Mr. Choi’s statement, everyone turns silent. Their eyes widen, and they look at Soobin in shock.

“You’re dating  _ Choi Yeonjun _ ?!”

“Oops,” his father mutters. “Sorry, Soobin.”

The ravenette lets out a small smile, but he doesn’t think that it’s fine that Mr. Choi basically announced to everyone in the room that his son is dating the school’s quarterback and student council’s president. Plus, how did Mr. Choi even know Soobin and Yeonjun are dating? Soobin never told him, and he doubts Yeonjun would. Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Kai wouldn’t tell Mr. Choi, either.

So, how does Mr. Choi know Soobin and Yeonjun are dating?

“U-uh, yes, I’m dating Yeonjun,” Soobin confirms. “But it’s not a big deal, everyone. We’re just dating.”

“Not a big deal?!” Jihyo repeats in disbelief. “Soobin, you’re dating  _ Choi Yeonjun _ , the principal’s  _ son _ . Not to mention, Yeonjun’s popular around here, and anyone—boy, girl, no matter what gender they are, wants to date him. You’re a lucky duck, Soobin. Congrats.”

“Thanks, noona, but it’s as if you’re congratulating me for winning a prize,” he says with a small frown. “Yeonjun-hyung isn’t a prize, and it’s time we realize that. He’s a human being. Not just some prize everyone wants to win.”

“Someone’s protective,” Jeongguk mutters.

Soobin rolls his eyes. “Whatever. Let’s just continue.”

Fortunately, no one brings up that Soobin and Yeonjun are dating for the rest of the meeting. It goes by smoothly (kind of), and it finishes ten minutes later. Everyone says bye to each other as they leave, and Soobin stays behind to clean up everything. Unfortunately (for him), Mr. Choi stays behind.

“May I help you with anything, Mr. Choi?” Soobin asks, looking at the male.

“Yes, actually,” he replies. “How’s my son doing, Soobin?”

The ravenette rolls his eyes internally. “Can’t you ask him yourself that, Mr. Choi? He’s your son, after all.”

“I know, but I just feel like he hates me,” Mr. Choi sighs. 

“Well, you never know until you ask,” Soobin says pointedly, trying to hurry up cleaning everything. 

“Thanks, Soobin, but…I was actually wondering if you could pass something on to him.” 

Soobin tries not to groan out loud. “Sure. What is it, Mr. Choi?”

“This.” He takes out a piece of paper from his pocket, and hands it to Soobin. The younger grabs it, and he almost drops the paper when he notices the neat cursive on the note. But Soobin shakes his head. People can have the same handwriting, right?

“What is this, Mr. Choi?” he asks.

“A note,” Mr. Choi replies. “I just want you to give it to my son. Can you, Soobin?”

“O-of course,” he says with a nervous smile. “I-is that all?”

Mr. Choi nods. “Oh, and your guys’ plan sounds wonderful. I can’t wait for the winter dance.”

“Your mind will be blown away, Mr. Choi,” Soobin chuckles, a bit nervously.

“I hope so,” Mr. Choi says. “Well, goodbye now, Soobin. Please give that note to my son.”

“I-I will,” Soobin says. “Goodbye, Mr. Choi.”

The principal smiles at Soobin, before finally walking out of the student council’s meeting room. Once Mr. Choi is gone, Soobin lets out a sigh of relief. He looks down at the note, gulping at Yeonjun’s name that’s written in neat cursive.

_ This can’t be Joy’s handwriting, right? _ , Soobin tries to convince himself.  _ Multiple people have the same handwriting. Maybe it’s just a coincidence. _

_ Yeah, maybe. _

And that’s what Soobin keeps telling himself as he walks toward his car to head toward Rosé’s and Yeonjun’s house.


	20. Handwriting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chap's a bit boring, but i promise the others won't be :)

“For the billionth time, Yeonjun, I’m fine,” Rosé sighs, a bit in exasperation. 

Despite what Rosé said, Yeonjun still asks, “Are you sure?” 

“I’m sure,” she says. “If I need your help, I’ll holler. I just want to sleep right now.”

Yeonjun nods. After a sleepless night in the hospital, and endless paperwork Rosé had to sign, she and Yeonjun are glad they are back home. Once they arrived, Yeonjun helped bring Rosé’s stuff inside, and lead her upstairs, since she’s still a bit drowsy for the medicine she took for her arm. Now she’s sleeping, and she’ll holler for Yeonjun if she needs anything.

Rosé might’ve thought Yeonjun was being annoying, but he just wants to make sure she’s not in any pain, or vulnerable enough for something to happen to her again. How could Yeonjun be so stupid? He let Joy injure Rosé on his watch, and he didn’t even notice. Not until Rosé was close to dying. And now Yeonjun is thinking about setting up cameras everywhere in their house.

Yeonjun sighs, walking into the kitchen. He hasn’t gotten the chance to eat breakfast yet, so that’s what he’s planning on doing. He’s too lazy to make himself anything, so he grabs a bowl from the cupboards, and serves himself some cereal and milk. He walks toward the living room, and sits down on the couch. He places his bowl on the coffee table in front of him, and reaches for the control. He grabs it, and turns the TV on. He flips through the channels, starting to eat his cereal.

Seconds later, Yeonjun gasps when he lands on Scooby-Doo. He starts watching the show, and before he knows it, he starts falling asleep.

* * *

Almost five hours later, Yeonjun is woken up when he hears the doorbell ring. He startles awake, seeming to have forgotten he fell asleep. Luckily, his bowl of cereal was placed next to him, so it didn’t fall and make a mess. Yeonjun groans, and he lowers the volume down on the TV, seeing that  _ Peppa Pig  _ is now playing. He lets out a small pout, since he can’t watch it right now. 

Yawning, Yeonjun walks toward the front door. His mind is still in a sleepy daze, so he doesn’t check through the peephole; opening the door right away instead. 

“Hi, kitten.”

At the familiar voice, Yeonjun’s eyes snap open. The sleepiness he felt is gone, and he looks up, locking eyes with Soobin.

Who is also his boyfriend.

_ Oh my god, I have a  _ boyfriend _? _

“S-Soobin,” Yeonjun says, surprised. “What are you doing here?”

“To check up on you and noona, and drop some things off,” Soobin replies. “May I come in?”

Yeonjun nods, and he opens the door wider for Soobin to come in. He does, stepping inside Yeonjun’s house. Yeonjun closes the door behind Soobin as the younger toes his shoes off by the door.

“Where’s Rosé-noona?” he asks, finally realizing the oldest isn’t anywhere.

“She’s upstairs in her room sleeping,” Yeonjun informs. “We didn’t sleep at all last night, so she’s tired.”

“And so are you, I see,” Soobin notes, seeing the sleepiness in Yeonjun’s eyes.

Yeonjun nods, yawning. “M-mhm. How was school?”

“Okay, I guess,” Soobin mutters. He follows behind Yeonjun to the living room, where they both see  _ Peppa Pig  _ playing on the TV. “You were watching  _ Peppa Pig _ , hyung?”

“You shouldn’t be surprised, Soobs,” he says. “Um, are you hungry? I could make us some cereal.”

Soobin laughs. “Thanks, but I can just get us some food.”

Yeonjun’s eyes light up at that. “You can?!”

Soobin nods. “Yeah. You want to come?”

“You bet I do,” Yeonjun replies excitedly. “Can we go now?”

“Um, is Rosé-noona going to be okay?” Soobin asks.

“Yeah,” Yeonjun assures. “If she needs anything, she can call us. Well, you, since I don’t have my phone.”

“She took it away?” Soobin says, surprised.

“Yeah,” Yeonjun says. “She took it away when we came back from Buk-gu.”

Soobin nods. “Oh. For how long is she going to have it?”

“Two weeks?” Yeonjun says. “I don’t remember.”

Soobin nods again. “Well, let’s go, then.”

Yeonjun nods this time excitedly, and he skips out of his house. Soobin follows behind him, laughing at how excited and cute Yeonjun is. They arrive where Soobin’s car is, and Soobin unlocks it. But before Yeonjun can get inside Soobin’s car, he feels a hand grab his wrist, and he turns around, seeing Soobin.

“Soobs?” Yeonjun says, a bit confused. “What are you doing?”

“W-we haven’t kissed today,” Soobin reminds. “A couple kisses each other, don’t they?”

“I-I guess,” Yeonjun mutters.

Soobin smiles softly, before he leans in. Yeonjun was expecting a long, sweet kiss between them, but Soobin just pecks his lips quickly, before pulling away. Soobin smiles innocently at Yeonjun, and opens the passenger’s door for him. Yeonjun snaps out of his shock, and glares at Soobin, knowing why he only pecked his lips. Nevertheless, Yeonjun still gets inside the car, and Soobin closes the door behind him. Soobin jogs toward the driver’s side, and gets in as he closes the door behind him.

“Where do you want to go, hyung?” he questions, starting to drive.

“Anywhere is fine,” Yeonjun grumbles.

Soobin nods, but there’s a smug look in his eyes. He and Yeonjun hold hands for the rest of the drive, but don’t say a word to each other. When they arrive at the restaurant, they both get out to order the food they want, before walking back to the car. Soobin drives them back to Rosé’s and Yeonjun’s house, and parks outside. 

“Thanks for the food,” he says, since Soobin paid for it.

Soobin nods again with a smile. He and Yeonjun walk toward the front door, and Yeonjun unlocks it, pushing it open. He and Soobin walk inside his house, Soobin closing the door behind them. Since they’re both starving, they immediately sit down to eat in the living room. Without asking Soobin if he wants to watch it as well, Yeonjun unmutes the TV, so he and Soobin can watch  _ Peppa Pig _ . Soobin shakes his head, but doesn’t complain.

They eat in silence. Soobin is too invested in his food to talk, and Yeonjun doesn’t want to say anything. However, the silence makes Soobin remember what happened earlier in the student council’s meeting room, and he places his plate of food down on the coffee table. Noticing, Yeonjun looks at him.

“Is everything okay?” Yeonjun asks.

“Yeah,” Soobin mutters, digging through his pocket. His hand touches the note, and he takes it out, handing it to Yeonjun. “Here. Your father wanted me to give this to you.”

The blue-haired male tenses up at the mention of his father, but still shakily reaches out to grab the note from Soobin’s hands. 

“W-why couldn’t he have given it to me himself?” Yeonjun says, more to himself than Soobin.

The raven-haired male hears him, though. “I don’t know. That’s what I always ask him, but apparently, he’s too ‘scared.’”

“That’s bullshit,” he scoffs. “That-” Yeonjun stops talking when he finally flips the note over, seeing the very familiar nice cursive on the note. His eyes widen, and he can feel the food he ate start rising in his throat. “M-my  _ father  _ wrote this?”

“I don’t know,” Soobin admits. “He just gave it to me.”

“S-Soobin, this is-”

“Soo-young’s handwriting,” he finishes. “I know. But we don’t know if that’s even Soo-young’s handwriting. It might be someone else’s.”

“I-I’ve seen my father’s handwriting before,” Yeonjun says. “It doesn’t look like this. Y-you don’t think my father and Soo-young are working together, right?”

“Why would they?” Soobin says pointedly. “I don’t think they even know each other.”

“Then why do their notes have the same handwriting?” Yeonjun asks. 

“Maybe it’s your father’s assistant,” Soobin says. “Ae-Ri, right?”

“Right,” Yeonjun agrees, having forgotten about his father’s new wife. “But why would she be in this, too? She barely knows me.”

“Maybe she loves your father a lot,” Soobin says. 

“Maybe,” Yeonjun mutters. Taking a deep breath, he finally unfolds the note. Once it is unfolded, he can see his father’s handwriting on the note. It starts with a ‘ _ Dear Yeonjun, _ ’ and the rest of the note is scribbled into words. Yeonjun skims over them, and lets out a small frown once he’s done.

“I-is everything okay?” Soobin hesitantly questions.

“No,” Yeonjun scoffs. “He just wrote a shitty apology, and asked when we can meet up next.”

“Shouldn’t your mom be the one working out things with you?”

Yeonjun freezes at the mention of his mom. The words she told him run through his head, and he feels pain, but he pushes it down. His mom isn’t important right now, and she never will be. But Yeonjun keeps telling himself otherwise.

“I-it’s fine,” he mutters. “Sh-she doesn’t have to fix anything.”

“Hyung, we both know she does,” Soobin reminds. “There’s  _ a lot  _ of things she needs to fix.”

“I-it’s fine,” Yeonjun repeats. “She’s probably busy.”

Soobin rolls his eyes. Even though his mother has hurt him more than enough times, Yeonjun still loves her with all his heart—he’d do anything for her. 

“If you say so,” Soobin sighs. “So, are you going to meet up with your father?”

“Once he asks me by himself face to face I will,” Yeonjun huffs. “That coward. If he’s so scared to even say one word to me then he shouldn’t be asking to meet up.”

Soobin nods in agreement, before deciding to change the subject, knowing it’s for the best for him and Yeonjun. 

“Are you going to go to school tomorrow?” Soobin asks.

“Yeah,” Yeonjun sighs. “School’s boring, though.”

“There’s only six months left until school ends, kitten,” Soobin chuckles. 

“‘Kitten’?”

At the new familiar voice, both Soobin and Yeonjun look up, surprised to see Rosé. She looks a bit better than a few hours ago, so that must be progress, right?

“Noona.” Yeonjun immediately stands. “What are you doing up?”

“I woke up,” Rosé says. “What are you guys doing?”

“We’re eating, noona,” Soobin replies. He stands up, bowing to Rosé. “Would you like some food?”

“Thanks, but I prefer cereal,” she says. “By the way, did I hear you just call Yeonjun ‘kitten’, Soobin?”

“Um…yeah,” he says, a bit hesitant. “I-is there a problem, noona?”

“No, sorry,” Rosé says, shaking her head at herself. “I forgot you guys are dating now. Oh, and that reminds me, you dare hurt my precious, sweet, little cousin, Choi Soobin, and I’ll come hunt and slaughter you myself. Understood?”

Soobin gulps. Even though  _ Yeonjun  _ was the one that hurt  _ him _ , Soobin still feels frightened and threatened by Rosé. He knows she keeps her promises, so if Soobin dares to hurt Yeonjun, she won’t hesitate to kill him. Or hurt him, at least. 

Soobin shudders at the thought of what Rosé might do to him.

“U-understood, noona,” he stutters. “I-I promise I won’t hurt Yeonjun-hyung.”

“You better,” Rosé huffs, glaring at Soobin. But then she breaks into a huge smile. “‘Kitten’ is such a cute pet name, though! Great job on that, Soobin!”

The youngest is a bit surprised at Rosé’s mood change, but not really at the same time, since Yeonjun is the same.

“Y-yeah, I think it’s cute, too, noona,” Soobin agrees. “That’s why I chose it.”

Rosé nods, and she looks at Yeonjun. “Jun, do  _ you  _ have a cute pet name for Soobin?”

“I do, noona,” Yeonjun replies. “I call him ‘my love.’”

“Aww,” Rosé coos. “That’s so cute. That reminds me, I have to call Jisoo…”

Yeonjun chuckles. “How are you feeling, noona? Do you feel any better?”

“I guess,” Rosé mutters, starting to eat her cereal. “Are you guys sure I got a broken arm? It doesn’t feel like it, and trust me, I know what a broken arm feels like.”

“I-it’s probably because of the meds, noona,” Soobin says, a bit nervously. 

Rosé stares at Soobin suspiciously, but then decides to shrug it off. “Eh, maybe. Ooh, were you guys watching  _ Peppa Pig _ ?”


	21. Idea

Soobin spends the rest of the day with Rosé and Yeonjun. His parents are always out on the weekdays, so he doesn’t bother telling them where he is. His siblings won’t care, either, so no one besides Rosé, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai knows where Soobin is. And he wants to keep it that way.

Hours later, when the clock strikes eight p.m., Soobin decides it’s time for him to leave. He says goodbye to Rosé, before Yeonjun accompanies him to his car.

“Thanks for coming over today,” Yeonjun says, wrapping his cardigan tighter around himself. It’s a chilly night, hence why it’s December. Yeonjun’s surprised it still hasn’t started snowing yet. “I think Rosé-noona appreciates you coming over, and checking up on her, too.”

Soobin smiles. “Of course I came over, kitten. I’d be a bad boyfriend if I didn’t.”

“You would,” Yeonjun agrees, a bit jokingly. “Do you have practice tomorrow?”

“All this week,” Soobin replies. “Even in the morning of the day of the game. We have to practice as much as we can.”

Yeonjun nods. “Hey, maybe I could sign up for the cheer team, so I can cheer you on. Ignoring what’s happening now between us, do you…have a crush on any of them?”

“No, kitten,” Soobin says, holding back the urge to roll his eyes. “I already told you before, but my eyes are only on you.”

“Yeah, but that was before…”

“Nothing has changed,” Soobin is brave enough to admit, even though he still hates Yeonjun for what he did. “But I still fucking hate you for what you did. Don’t you dare think I’ve forgotten about that, Yeonjun.”

The blue-haired male feels a bit threatened and frightened by Soobin, but he nods. “I-I’ll make it up to you somehow, Soobin.”

“Yeah, sure,” he mutters. Despite the anger he feels, Soobin pulls Yeonjun closer by his waist, and presses a soft kiss on his plush pink lips. “I’ll see you tomorrow, kitten.”

Yeonjun, still a bit dazed from the sudden kiss Soobin gave him, meekly nods. “M-mhm.”

Soobin smiles a bit smugly, before he gets in his car, closing the passenger’s door behind him. Yeonjun steps aside, so he’s not in Soobin’s way, and smiles and waves at him as he drives away. Once Soobin’s car is out of sight, Yeonjun sighs, heading back inside.

“You know, you should’ve put on a warmer jacket.”

Looking up, Yeonjun locks eyes with Rosé. She’s holding two cups of what seems like hot chocolate, and Yeonjun’s eyes light up, his mouth watering at the taste of hot chocolate. 

“I know, but I was too lazy,” he says, grabbing one of the cups from Rosé’s hands.

“You always are,” she says.

Yeonjun smiles sheepishly. He takes a sip of his hot chocolate, making sure to blow on it, so it doesn’t burn his tongue. He licks the whipped cream mustache it left, before he remembers Soobin’s game is on Friday. Yeonjun obviously wants to go to cheer him on, but he can’t go. He’s grounded, and Rosé’s only letting him go to school. 

But it won’t hurt to try and ask her if he can go, right?

“H-hey, noona,” he says, a bit nervously.

Rosé looks up from her phone, probably texting Jisoo. “Yeah?”

“U-um…” Yeonjun fiddles with the handle of the teacup, not sure if he wants to ask Rosé if he can go to Soobin’s game. Yeonjun can always sneak out, but if Rosé finds out, he’ll be in more trouble. “Y-you know how Soobin’s game is on F-Friday?”

“Yeah…?” Rosé gives Yeonjun a weird look. “Why?”

“Um…” Yeonjun bites his bottom lip, before he decides to just spit it out. “C-can I go?”

Rosé sighs. “Yeonjun, we both know you can’t.”

“Aww, but why not?” he whines.

Rosé raises an eyebrow at Yeonjun. “You know why, Yeonjun. You’re grounded. You’re only allowed to go to school.”

“Exactly,” he says. “I’ll still be at school.”

Rosé shakes her head. “No, Yeonjun. I meant you can only go out during school hours, which is seven a.m. to three p.m. No longer than that.”

“Can’t you excuse this one?” Yeonjun asks pleadingly. “I promise I won’t ask to go out after this one.”

“No, Yeonjun,” Rosé denies. “Remember why you’re grounded. We’re not having this conversation again. Look, I know Soobin’s your boyfriend, and you want to be there for him, but you’re grounded. You can’t step foot out of this house unless it’s for school. So, I’m sorry, Yeonjun, but you can’t go to Soobin’s game on Friday.”

Yeonjun sighs. It was worth a try.

“Alright,” he mutters. “I understand, noona.”

Rosé nods, and she goes back to texting Jisoo. Yeonjun goes back to drinking his hot chocolate and watching the TV, but Rosé looks up at him. She can see the frown on his face, and feels bad. Sure, what Yeonjun did was horrible, and he scared Rosé to death, but she remembers how it feels like to be in love. Hell, she’s in love right now. If Jisoo somehow had a football game, Rosé would want to go, especially since she’d be going to her girlfriend's big game. 

_ “But,”  _ Rosé adds, making Yeonjun look at her. “I guess if you sign up for an after-school club or something that’s going to be at Soobin’s game, I guess you can go.”

Yeonjun’s eyes light up. “Really?!”

Rosé shrugs. “Why not?”

Yeonjun squeals, and he places his cup down, before engulfing Rosé into a hug. “Oh, thank  _ you _ , noona! I love you so freaking much, you have no idea.”

Rosé giggles, hugging Yeonjun back. “I love you, too, Jun. But you can only go to Soobin’s game if you join a club that’s there for Soobin’s game.”

Yeonjun nods, pulling away. “Thank you, noona! I-I promise, I won’t do what I did ever again.”

“You better.” 

* * *

The next morning, Yeonjun is already at school by six-thirty a.m. He woke up around five a.m. to take a quick shower, and change into comfortable clothes, but loose enough, so that Yeonjun could do flips and cartwheels in them.

And if you haven’t guessed yet, Yeonjun is trying out for the cheer team.

Although tryouts ended a week ago, Yeonjun still wants to join, especially since he can cheer for Soobin, and be at his game at the same time. Yeonjun isn’t too sure whether the captain will let him join, but he’s sure he’ll be able to convince her.

Once the school gates open, Yeonjun immediately walks toward the field. He knows Nayeon, the captain of the cheer team, is already here, since she’s always early. Somehow, she sometimes gets inside the school even  _ before  _ the school’s gates open. How? Yeonjun would never know. But right now’s not the time to be wondering about that. Now’s the time to worry if Yeonjun will be able to get into the cheer team or not.

Yeonjun soon arrives at the field, unsurprised that he sees Nayeon doing some flips on the grass. He walks toward her, and she notices him, which makes her stop.

“Yeonjun?” she says, confused. “What are you doing here?”

“Um, I came to ask you something,” Yeonjun replies, stopping a few feet away from Nayeon. “Are you still holding cheer tryouts?”

The older one gives him a look. “Really, Yeonjun? Tryouts ended last week.”

“I-I know, but I didn’t have a chance to join,” he partially lies. 

“I’m sorry, Yeonjun, but I don’t think you can anymore,” Nayeon says. “The football team’s big game is in two days, and I don’t think you can memorize our dance until then.”

“Sure I can,” Yeonjun says, even though he isn’t that sure himself. He’s known for forgetting things at times. “J-just let me try. Please?”

Nayeon sighs in defeat. “Fine. Show me what you got.”

Yeonjun nods, relieved. He places his bag down, and gets himself ready. Nayeon puts on some music to help him, and Yeonjun starts by doing cartwheels. He raises his leg in the air until it stops by his head, and flips whilst holding it. He does some cheer motions, spelling out the name of their football team, which impresses Nayeon a bit, a cheer clasp, a high V, t-motion, cheer touchdown, toe touch, pike, handstand, round off, and lastly, a back handspring. Yeonjun took gymnastics as a kid, and surprisingly, he still remembers some of the moves, and is still flexible.

Yeonjun lands in front of Nayeon, panting slightly. She looks at him amused, and he looks back at her with a smile.

Before they can say anything, though, they hear someone clapping, and they look up. Yeonjun feels anger rising in him when he sees  _ Joy _ , dressed in her cheer uniform.

“Wow,” she says. “I never expected you to be this good, Yeonjun.”

The bluenette ignores her, turning back to Nayeon. “So, how did I do, noona?”

“You did amazing,” she replies. “You weren’t lying when you said you know your stuff. In fact, you did so amazing that I’m pairing you up with Joy, so she can help you with our dance.”

Yeonjun’s eyes widen. “What?!”

“Yay!” Joy squeals, clapping her hands. 

“C-can’t you help me, noona?” Yeonjun asks nervously.

“I would, but Joy’s better at teaching the dance,” Nayeon says. She picks up her stuff, before her phone dings. She checks who texted her, and her eyes widen. “S-sorry, guys, but I need to leave. Uh…Yeonjun, you’re in the team. Practice is every day after school. Joy, start training Yeonjun, please.”

Joy nods, bowing to Nayeon. “As you wish, unnie.”

The oldest smiles at them, before she finally walks away, typing hurriedly on her phone. Once Nayeon is out of sight, Yeonjun wishes he could’ve gone with her, since he doesn’t want to be even an inch near Joy.

_ Damn it, I forgot she joined the cheer team, too. _

“Ah, Yeonjun, it’s very nice to see you again!” she chirps. “How’s our dear Rosie doing?”

“None of your business,” Yeonjun grumbles. “The only reason I’m not walking away is because I need to learn the dance.”

Joy nods. “Right, you’re grounded, and dear Rosie said you can only go out if you join an after-school club.”

Yeonjun’s eyes widen, and he looks at Joy in both surprise and fear. “H-how do you know that?”

“I know everything about you and Soobin, remember?” she says with a creepy smile. “My eyes are always on the both of you.” Joy stares at Yeonjun without saying anything, a dark glint in her eyes. Yeonjun wants to look away, but Joy is keeping him captivated in the eye contact, and he gulps nervously. Then, Joy breaks out into a bright smile. “Alright, let’s get started, then!”

Yeonjun snaps out of it, weakly nodding. Joy starts teaching him the dance, and Yeonjun easily follows along. Joy’s a bit surprised at how fast he learns, but isn’t at the same time, since she’s been watching him for a very long time. When Joy decides she’s taught Yeonjun enough, she stops, making him stop as well.

“That’s all for today,” she says, taking a sip of her water. 

Yeonjun nods, panting a bit heavily. “Th-the dance isn’t that hard.”

“It isn’t,” Joy agrees. “That reminds me, we need to speak with Nayeon-noona about your uniform.”

“Okay,” Yeonjun says. “When?”

“Maybe during lunch,” Joy mutters. “I think she’s free at that time.”

Yeonjun nods. “I-I don’t want to say this, but…thank you, Soo-young. For helping me.”

Joy smiles brightly. “Of course, Yeonjun-ssi! Anything for my dongsaengs! See you during lunch! Bye!”

Yeonjun gives Joy a small smile, before she skips away. For once, Yeonjun wasn’t mad at Joy for the time they spent together. He was too busy focusing and learning the dance to do so, anyway. Plus, Joy didn’t say anything to make him mad, which is a surprise for him. 

Yeonjun sighs, shaking his head. He walks toward where he got his stuff, glad he brought along some water. He grabs it, and unscrews the cap. He’s about to take a few sips, before he hears:

“Kitten?”

Turning around, Yeonjun sees Soobin, the younger dressed in joggers and a black sleeveless tee. Yeonjun gulps, trying so hard not to stare at Soobin’s broad shoulders and biceps.

(for someone who doesn’t like working out, soobin sure seems pretty buff.)

“Oh, hi, my love,” Yeonjun greets. 

“Hey,” Soobin says, walking toward Yeonjun. “What are you doing here?”

The older smiles innocently, wrapping his arms around Soobin’s neck. “That’s for me to know, and for you to find out.”

Soobin raises an eyebrow as he looks down at Yeonjun, placing his hands on the bluenette’s waist. “Can’t you just tell me?”

“Nope,” he replies, popping the p. “I want it to be a surprise.”

“If you guys are going to start kissing, please get a room.”

At the voice, Soobin and Yeonjun look up, seeing Beomgyu and Hueningkai. Yeonjun rolls his eyes, turning toward the younger two.

“Please, you’re the same way with Taehyun,” he says.

“Okay, but at least we’re not kissing everywhere, and in front of everyone,” Beomgyu shoots back.

“We weren’t kissing, Beom,” Soobin says. “We just have our arms around each other.”

“You guys were going to kiss,” Kai says. “You were about to, before Beomgyu-hyung spoke up.”

“Whatever,” Yeonjun sighs. “I’ll leave you guys to practice. Good luck.” He unwraps his arms around Soobin, the ravenette doing the same. Yeonjun grabs his stuff, before he turns back to Soobin, slightly reaching on his tippy toes to whisper something in the younger’s ear. “Win that trophy for me, my love. I know you can do it.” Yeonjun pulls away, pecking Soobin’s cheek softly, before walking away, smiling at the younger three.

Once Yeonjun is out of earshot, Beomgyu and Hueningkai look at Soobin smugly.

“Someone’s in love,” Beomgyu notes, noticing the redness on Soobin’s cheeks.

“A-am not,” he frowns, breaking out of it. 

Kai rolls his eyes. “Hyung, you’re in a relationship with Yeonjun-hyung. We all know you’re in love. You both are.”

_ Yeonjun isn’t _ , Soobin wants to say, but he keeps it to himself. Instead, he shakes his head at Hueningkai, before announcing to their team to get ready, since practice is going to start soon.

* * *

Almost six hours later, it is finally lunch. Yeonjun would spend it with Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Kai, but he’s spending it with Nayeon and  _ Joy  _ for today. Yeonjun thought he would  _ never  _ spend even a second with Joy, yet here he is, waiting for her outside her fourth-period classroom.

(she told him what it was when they bumped into each other earlier.)

“Yeonjun-ssi, very nice to see you again,” she says as she walks out. “Thanks for waiting for me.”

“I’m just waiting for you, so we can go with Nayeon-noona,” Yeonjun grumbles as they start walking. “I’m not waiting for you just because it’s you.”

Joy lets out a small smirk. “I know, but I’m still flattered.”

Yeonjun rolls his eyes. “You do know where Nayeon-noona is, right? You’re not tricking me into something?”

“Yeonjun, honey, I’m saving that for later,” Joy giggles. “For now we have to focus on cheerleading, not what I’m planning to do to you. Now, I’m pretty sure Nayeon’s in the math classroom…”

Yeonjun sighs, not sure if he should trust Joy. Yet, he still follows behind her. Luckily, they arrive in the math classroom, and just like Joy said, Nayeon is here. Yeonjun’s surprised Joy wasn’t lying for once, but pushes the thought to the back of his head. He walks toward Nayeon, stopping in front of her.

“H-hi, noona,” he greets, a bit nervously.

Nayeon looks up, a bit surprised to see Yeonjun. “Yeonjun? What are you doing here?”

“He wants to know what uniform he’s going to wear,” Joy says for the youngest.

“Ah, right,” Nayeon mutters. She turns to the kid she’s tutoring, smiling at her apologetically. “Sorry, hon, but I’m going to be gone for a few minutes. I’ll be back soon, okay?” The girl nods, so Nayeon turns back to Joy and Yeonjun. “Follow me to the cheer lockerroom, please.”

Joy and Yeonjun nod this time, following behind Nayeon. The three walk in silence, soon reaching the locker room for the cheer team. Nayeon walks toward her locker, rummaging through it, until she takes out a uniform. But it isn’t meant for boys—it’s meant for  _ girls _ .

“Sorry, Yeonjun, but this is the only uniform we have,” she says apologetically. “If we order one for guys, it’ll arrive in two weeks.”

Yeonjun nods. “That’s fine, noona. I’m fine wearing this.”

Nayeon raises an eyebrow at him. “Really? You’re fine wearing a short dress that barely covers anything?”

“Yeah,” he replies. “It’s just a dress.”

Nayeon sighs. “Fine. If you want, we can order you one still.”

“Nah, I prefer the dress,” Yeonjun says, and grabs the uniform from Nayeon. “Thanks, noona.”

The oldest nods. “Arrive early on Friday before the game, so we can help you get ready.”

Yeonjun nods this time. “Thanks, noona.”

“Yeah,” Nayeon says. “Remember, there’s practice today after school. The football team is also going to be practicing, so our space will be a bit restricted, but I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” Yeonjun says. “I’ll be there after school.”

Nayeon nods. “Well, if you don’t have any questions, I’ll be going back to my tutoring. See you both later.”

“Bye, unnie,” Joy says with a wave.

Nayeon smiles at them, before she finally walks away. Once Joy and Yeonjun are alone, he huffs, looking down at the cheerleader uniform. It’s a purple and black dress, with the school’s name on it. The pom-poms are purple, white, and black, and the shoes are white, as well as the long socks. Yeonjun’s sure he can rock this look off.

“I’m sure Soobinie will  _ love  _ seeing you in this,” Joy says, breaking Yeonjun out of his thoughts.

Yeonjun frowns at Joy, but knows she’s not wrong. “Y-you think?”

“Yup,” she says. “You might get some on Friday, Yeonjun. Good luck.”

Joy winks at Yeonjun, before she walks away, leaving the younger alone. Yeonjun shakes his head at Joy, placing the dress, pom poms, shoes, and socks in his backpack. He walks out of the cheer team’s locker room, heading toward the cafeteria. Once he arrives, he gets food, before heading toward the table he sees his friends at.

“Hi, everyone,” he greets, sitting down next to Beomgyu. “Where’s Soobin?”

“At some student council thing,” Beomgyu replies. “He said he’ll miss lunch, so we shouldn’t wait for him.”

Yeonjun nods, and begins eating.

“Where were you, hyung?” Taehyun asks. “You missed the first fifteen minutes of lunch, which is a surprise for all of us.”

Yeonjun chuckles. “My fourth-period teacher made us stay after class.”

“Are you sure?” Hueningkai says, raising an eyebrow. “I thought I saw you with Joy-noona.”

Beomgyu’s eyes widen. “You were with  _ Joy _ , hyung?”

“She was leading me somewhere,” Yeonjun says. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Where did she lead you to?” Taehyun questions, despite what Yeonjun said.

“To the field,” he lies. “She wanted to show me geese.”

“That’s not weird at all,” Kai mutters. “Are you sure that’s where she led you, hyung?”

Yeonjun nods. “Positive.”

Beomgyu and Taehyun nod this time, seeming to believe Yeonjun. Beomgyu changes the subject, and Yeonjun and Taehyun tag along. Meanwhile, Hueningkai stares at Yeonjun suspiciously, wondering if he was telling the truth or not.


	22. The Game

The rest of Wednesday and Thursday fly by quickly. Yeonjun does go to cheerleading practice after school, but Soobin doesn’t notice him, which surprises Yeonjun. Or maybe Soobin does notice him, but he doesn’t let the older one know. Nevertheless, Yeonjun doesn’t care if Soobin sees him or not during cheer practice. It’d be better if Soobin didn’t see him, because then Yeonjun would be able to surprise Soobin on Friday during his big game.

And with the help of Joy, Yeonjun manages to learn the cheer dance he and his team are doing for the game. Yeonjun has always been known for his dancing skills, so it isn’t really surprising to Joy that Yeonjun quickly learns the dance.

Today is Friday, which means Soobin’s big game is today. Everyone, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai, knows how nervous Soobin is, especially since this is his chance to finally get a scholarship. Beomgyu and Kai are nervous as well, but they’re not as nervous as Soobin is, since they aren’t aiming for a scholarship. 

(hueningkai changed his mind after he won one for his singing skills.)

It’s still morning, 6:02 AM to be exact, and Choi Soobin is in his room pacing nervously. He’s still dressed in his pajamas, his raven hair is all tousled up and messy, and he still has morning breath. He woke up thirty minutes ago, not being able to continue sleeping because of how nervous he is. Although pacing doesn’t help keep him calm, it helps him keep himself sane.

“Damn it, Soobin, why are you pacing this time?”

Looking up at the voice, Soobin locks eyes with his dad. The older male is in the same state as his son, but tired instead of anxious.

“W-what are you doing up, dad?” he asks.

“Your stupid pacing woke me up,” his dad replies, yawning. “Are you nervous about your game?”

“How can I not be, dad?” Soobin says. “If I don’t win, I might lose my chance of winning a scholarship.”

“You can always try out for a student loan, or financial aid,” his dad suggests. “Besides, we’re rich. Your mom or I can always pay for your college funds.”

“No, dad,” Soobin sighs. “I’m only worrying because for once, I want to get something on my own. All my life, I’ve depended on you and mom to buy me stuff, even if you guys don’t even ask me before buying me things. I want to show myself and others that I’m capable of doing things on my own.”

His dad sighs. “Soobin, not everything is going to work out.”

“I know,” he mutters. “But I’ve been on the football team for all my years in high school. I’m pretty good at it, right?”

“Soobin, you managed to become the team captain in your sophomore year,” his dad reminds. “Even after everything with… _ her _ . You’re pretty strong and smart, son, so I’m sure you’ll win. And if you don’t, you can always aim for a scholarship again.”

Soobin nods, knowing his dad has a point. It’s rare when his dad comforts him, since he’s the one that’s always out. But his comforting words mean a lot more than if it were coming from his mom, since she’s always there for him. A different point of view is always helpful.

“Thanks, dad,” he says with a small smile.

“Yeah,” his dad says. “Now try to go back to sleep, or at least stop pacing, for god’s sake. Even the maids can hear you from downstairs.”

Soobin chuckles. They don’t have any maids.

“Okay, I’ll stop,” he assures. “Thanks again, dad.”

The male nods, glancing at Soobin, before walking out of his son’s room. Soobin is now left alone again, and since he doesn’t want to get anyone else mad at his pacing, he decides to start getting dressed and get his stuff ready for the big day.

* * *

Yeonjun wakes up an hour after Soobin, around 7:02. Unlike his boyfriend, Yeonjun isn’t nervous at all for today. He knows everything will go okay, Soobin will win the trophy, and get that scholarship. Everything will be okay today, and no one is going to be dying on Yeonjun’s watch.

“You seem to be in a happy mood today,” his cousin muses as he walks down the stairs.

“I am,” he agrees. “It’s finally Soobinie’s big game today, and I’m going to be there to cheer him on. Speaking of which, are you gonna go to the big game?”

“Maybe,” Rosé says. “I’ll even try to take Jisoo with me.”

Yeonjun nods, but he freezes when he remembers  _ Jisoo  _ was the one who patched up Soobin back in Buk-gu. Hopefully, she won’t tell Rosé anything, or both he  _ and  _ Soobin will be in deep trouble. And not only by their parents and Rosé. By Joy as well.

“Y-yeah, you…do that,” Yeonjun says, a bit nervously. “What’s for breakfast?”

“Eggs and pancakes,” Rosé replies. “I would’ve made toast, too, but I was too lazy.”

Yeonjun chuckles, walking to the counter to serve himself some food. “That’s fine, noona. Maybe I should do breakfast, too.”

“Starting Monday, and you’ll continue until you move out,” Rosé says with a sheepish smile.

“No thanks,” Yeonjun says, sitting down to eat. “I’m fine just doing one day.”

Rosé shakes her head at Yeonjun. The blue-haired male continues eating, and when he finishes, he places his plate in his sink. Even though he already ate breakfast, he still hasn’t changed out of his pajamas yet. He was just too hungry, and wanted to eat first. Besides, his clothes need to be pretty enough to catch Soobin’s attention, and Yeonjun would’ve probably stained them during breakfast.

He did with his pajamas.

Yeonjun undresses out of them, and walks toward his closet. He skims through it, before changing into an outfit, which is a pink turtleneck long-sleeve turtleneck crop top, light blue jeans, and white high top Converse. He brushes his blue hair, but leaves it as it is. He’s saving looking fancy for the football game, where he plans on amazing Soobin. But not too much that it’ll distract him.

Before he leaves his room, Yeonjun applies a layer of cherry red lip gloss on his lips to make them shine. He rubs his lips together to spread the gloss, before placing the tube down. He grabs his backpack and other things, and walks out of his room to go downstairs. Once he arrives, he can see Rosé already dressed in a black long-sleeve ribbed shirt tucked into a light pink denim skirt, a black belt tied around her waist, and black ballet flats on her feet. As she hears Yeonjun’s footsteps, she looks up.

“Ready?” she asks, grabbing her bag.

Yeonjun nods. He and Rosé walk out of their house, and toward Rosé’s car, Yeonjun closing and locking the door behind them. They get inside the car, where Rosé turns it on.

“Hey, Jun?” she says as she starts backing up from the driveway.

Yeonjun looks at Rosé. “Yeah?”

“When are you going to get your own car?” she says. “I’m not always going to have the time to drive you everywhere. And when are you going to get your license? Kai even has his license, and he’s younger than you.”

“I-I’m working on it,” Yeonjun huffs. “It ain’t easy, noona.”

“It kinda is,” Rosé chuckles. “Jennie’s a driving instructor, and she comes by once a month, but you never ask her to teach you.”

“Whatever,” Yeonjun mutters.

Rosé giggles. She continues teasing Yeonjun, and he teases her back as they drive toward their school. Once they arrive, Rosé parks in the school’s parking lot, turning the car off. She and Yeonjun get out, closing the door behind them.

“Where are you going?” she asks as they start walking toward the entrance.

“To the field,” Yeonjun replies. “My team and I need to practice still.”

Rosé nods. “I’ll see you during second period, then.”

Yeonjun nods this time. He and Rosé peck each other’s cheeks, before they separate ways—Rosé going to her classroom, and Yeonjun heading toward the field. But he’s soon interrupted when the door of the office opens, someone standing in his way. Yeonjun huffs, and he looks up to tell the person  _ kindly  _ if they can get out of his way, but he tenses up and his eyes widen when his eyes land on his  _ father _ .

“H-hello, son.”

“F-father?” 

“A-are you busy right now?” he asks.

“I-I’m going to the field,” Yeonjun replies.

His father nods. He opens his mouth to say something, before he notices what Yeonjun is wearing. His father looks back up at him, raising an eyebrow.

“Really, Yeonjun?” his father says. “You’re wearing a  _ crop top _ ?”

“Yeah,” Yeonjun says, a small frown on his face. “You got a problem?”

“Aren’t…crop tops for girls?”

“Clothes are for  _ all  _ genders, father,” Yeonjun says, narrowing his eyes at him. “Did you just stop me to waste my time?”

“N-no.” His father quickly shakes his head. “I just wanted to ask why you didn’t reply to my note.”

“Your note?” Yeonjun scoffs. “Your note was a shitty apology for what happened at dinner. I’m not saying it’s your fault, but I am mad that you haven’t tried to reach out to me.”

“You haven’t, either,” his father says pointedly.

“Well, mother isn’t  _ my  _ wife,” Yeonjun says. “You’re my father, for god’s sake. You should be the bigger person here. It shouldn’t have to be the kid.”

“Fine, I’m sorry,” his father sighs. “Can you just meet up with me after school?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t,” Yeonjun says.

“Why not?”

“I have cheerleading practice.”

His father’s eyes widen.  _ “Cheerleading practice _ ? Not that, too, Yeonjun.”

The bluenette rolls his eyes. “I don’t see what’s your problem. It’s none of your business, anyway.” Yeonjun glares at his father, before he walks away. His father probably tries to go after him, but Yeonjun quickly runs toward the field, where he sees his cheer teammates practicing. Surprisingly, he doesn’t see Joy anywhere.

“Oh, hey, Yeonjun,” Nayeon greets once she sees the younger. “We’re glad you’re here.”

“Hi,” he returns, placing his bag down. “W-where’s Joy-noona?”

“She couldn’t make it today,” another cheerleader says. “She got the flu.”

Yeonjun looks at who spoke, recognzing the cheerleader as Bae Joo-hyun, or Irene as she likes to be called. 

“Oh, okay,” he says. 

“So, instead of Joy helping you,  _ I’ll  _ be helping you,” Irene continues. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah, that’s fine, noona,” Yeonjun says with a small smile. “Thanks.”

Irene nods. “Love your outfit, by the way, but sadly, we all have to change into our practice clothes.”

Yeonjun nods this time. He and the rest of the team walk toward their locker room, and surprisingly, Yeonjun wasn’t kicked out. Most of the girls on the team know he’s gay, and are friends with him, so they know he isn’t a creep. Yeonjun changes into his practice clothes with the rest of the girls, before they all walk outside to start their practice.

* * *

Five hours later, it is finally lunch. Yeonjun has been starving ever since third period, especially because of cheer practice. It went on for so long that it went into first period, so Yeonjun, fortunately, got to skip it. Now it is lunch, and all Yeonjun wants to do is sit with his friends and boyfriend to eat.

Once he gets his lunch, Yeonjun walks toward the table he saw his friends at, and like always, sits down next to Beomgyu.

“About time you arrive, hyung,” he says. “It seems like every day you’re late.”

“Sorry,” Yeonjun sighs. “I was just too lazy to walk faster.”

“Why are you tired, hyung?” Taehyun asks, a bit worriedly.

“Cheer practice,” Yeonjun replies. “It really tired me out today.”

“That’s weird,” Kai says. “Yesterday and Wednesday you weren’t tired.”

“That’s because Nayeon-noona was extra harder on us today,” Yeonjun explains. “Hopefully, for the game, she goes easy on us.”

Beomgyu smiles, and he wraps his arm around Yeonjun’s shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll do fine, hyung.”

Yeonjun smiles back. “Thanks, Beom. I’m sure you and Kai will do fine, too. Tae, why didn’t you become a cheerleader, too?”

“I’m not that into it,” he answers. “And I’m not that flexible, either. Besides, I don’t think they have uniforms for guys.”

“They don’t,” Yeonjun confirms. “I have to wear the same dress the rest of the cheerleaders are going to wear.”

Hueningkai’s eyes slightly widen. “Wow. Maybe I should call you noona for tonight, hyung.”

Yeonjun chuckles. “Maybe you should.”

“Bet.”

Yeonjun shakes his head playfully at Kai, before he realizes his boyfriend is nowhere to be found. Yeonjun frowns. He was especially looking forward to being with his boyfriend after his long day.

“Where’s Soobin?” he asks.

“Some student council thing,” Beomgyu says. “They have to meet up more, since the dance is next Friday.”

“Speaking of which, who are you going to take to the dance, Kai?” Yeonjun says smugly.

Hueningkai rolls his eyes. “No one. If I could, I would bring my plushies.”

Taehyun giggles. “Maybe I can pair you up with someone, Kai. You’re bi, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I know a few boys and girls who seem to like you,” Taehyun says. “Maybe I can set you up with them?”

“Thanks, Tae, but I prefer to get to know someone before dating them,” Hueningkai sighs. “Besides, I’m perfectly fine being the single one. Hey, Yeonjun-hyung, do you think Soobin-hyung will ask you out to the dance?”

“He better,” Yeonjun huffs. 

“And if he doesn’t?” Beomgyu says.

“I’m breaking up with him,” Yeonjun says jokingly.

“You know, hyung, you could always ask him,” Taehyun says pointedly.

“You’re right, Tae,” Yeonjun says. “You know what, I’m going to ask Soobin.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if  _ he  _ asks you?” Kai says. 

“Why would it be better?” Yeonjun asks.

“I don’t know, but  _ he’s  _ the one planning the dance,” Hueningkai says. “Besides, he was the one that asked you to be his boyfriend, right?”

“No,” Yeonjun says. And he’s telling the truth. Soobin didn’t ask him to be his boyfriend, and Yeonjun didn’t ask him, either.  _ Joy  _ was the one that set up everything between them. If it weren’t for her, Yeonjun doesn't think Soobin would be dating him right now. Or, hell, even be an  _ inch  _ near him. “We just decided to be a couple.”

“Okay, well, Soobin-hyung still has to do it because of chivalry,” Beomgyu says, sticking his chin up a bit. “Every man has to ask his woman to a dance. Or,  _ man _ , in your guys’ case.”

Yeonjun rolls his eyes. “Fine. But if he doesn’t ask me by Thursday,  _ I’m  _ doing it.”

Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Kai shrug in unison. “Fine with me.”

“Anyway, enough of me and Soobin,” Yeonjun says. “Have  _ you  _ asked Tae to the dance yet, Beom? He asked you out on a date. Don’t you think you should ask him to the dance?”

At Yeonjun’s words, Taehyun turns a light shade of red. Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai don’t fail to notice.

“You okay, Tae?” he questions. “You seem a bit red there.”

“B-Beomgyu-hyung already asked me to the dance,” Taehyun says, a bit shyly.

Yeonjun’s eyes widen. “H-he did?”

“I did,” Beomgyu says smugly, wrapping his arm around his boyfriend’s slim waist to pull him closer. “Last Friday, I think.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Kai inquires with a small pout.

“Well, with everything going on, we forgot to,” Taehyun explains. “But at least no one else is going to take Beomie to the dance.”

“Ugh, disgusting,” Hueningkai says with a fake gag. 

“Stop being homophobic, Kai,” Yeonjun frowns, throwing a french fry at the youngest.

“Hey!” Hueningkai frowns back, throwing the same fry back at Yeonjun.

“Okay, both of you, stop,” Beomgyu orders sternly. “We all know what’s going to happen if you two don’t.”

“Fine,” Yeonjun and Kai huff in unison. Secretly, under the table, though, Yeonjun kicks Hueningkai’s shin. Kai frowns, and he kicks Yeonjun back.

* * *

Before anyone knows it, it is already five p.m., a.k.a. when people should already be filling up the bleachers for the big game. Some people, like Soobin’s parents and siblings, are already sitting down, whilst others are barely buying their tickets, or buying food and drinks. 

Soobin takes a deep breath as he hears the commotion outside. He didn’t have the courage to go home, so he stayed after school to practice his throwing, running, and falling onto the ground. Beomgyu and Hueningkai went home to eat a proper lunch, before they came back to school.

Currently, everyone on the football team is dressed in their gear, and they seem ready to go. Soobin isn’t. All the pressure is on him, especially since he’s the team captain and quarterback. If something goes wrong, it’ll be on him. Probably on the coach as well, but mostly on him. 

“Hey, Choi, you ready?”

At the voice, Soobin looks up, seeing his coach dressed in his usual attire, but looks more professional.

“Just a bit nervous, Coach,” Soobin replies with a small smile.

“You’ll do fine, son,” his coach assures. “You’re the best quarterback and team captain I’ve known. And that speaks a lot, since I’ve been a football coach for thirty years.”

“Th-thanks, Coach, but everyone’s counting on me,” Soobin says with a small frown. He knows his coach won’t judge him for his doubts. He’s one of the few people Soobin goes to when he needs comfort, or to spill something. “One wrong move, and it’s on me.”

His coach sighs, sitting down next to him. “Look, Soobin, I know how nerve-wracking these games can be. But you’re a straight-A student, you’re the football team’s captain and quarterback, the  _ president  _ of the student council, and everyone adores or admires you. Even if something does go wrong, it won’t be your fault. Everyone makes mistakes, so don’t be so hard on yourself, okay?”

Soobin nods, feeling a bit better. “Th-thanks, Coach.”

The older nods this time, getting up. He then blows his whistle, making everyone give him their attention. “Alright, team, let’s huddle up. Pay attention…”

* * *

“Noona, you ready?!”

“Almost! Just hold on!”

“Hurry up! We still need to pick up Jisoo-noona!”

“Hold your horses, Choi!”

Yeonjun rolls his eyes. It’s currently four-thirteen p.m., and he needs to be at his school at four-thirty. He’s waiting for Rosé, since she had the brilliant idea to get ready last minute. Plus, they still need to pick up Jisoo, and she’s ten minutes away from where they live.

(even though soobin and yeonjun saw jisoo in buk-gu, she doesn’t live there—she actually lives in seoul as well. she was just in buk-gu for her job.)

The football team’s big game is in one hour and forty-seven minutes, so the football and cheer team are going to get as much practice as they can get. Yeonjun is dressed in his practice clothes, but he has his bag with him that has his uniform and a few beauty stuff.

“Okay, I’m ready,” Rosé finally says, walking down the stairs.

“Finally,” Yeonjun grumbles, getting up from the couch. He looks up at Rosé, surprised to see her dressed in a black leather blazer dress, black ankle-wrapped heels on her feet, her strawberry blonde hair straightened, and smokey eye makeup with pink lipstick. “Noona, you  _ do  _ know we’re just going to a football game, right?”

“Yeah, I know, but I still want to look nice,” she says. “You’re probably going to look better than me, anyway. But enough chit-chat. Let’s go pick up Jisoo, and head to school.”

Yeonjun nods. He and Rosé make sure they have all their stuff, before walking out of their house, getting inside Rosé’s car. She turns it on, before backing up from the driveway. She starts driving toward Jisoo’s house, and picks her up from her front door, leading her back to her car. Yeonjun was in the backseat, so Jisoo can sit in the front.

“Hi, Yeonjun,” she greets once she’s inside. 

“H-hi, noona,” Yeonjun returns, a bit nervously.

“How have you been?” Jisoo asks, buckling herself in.

“Um, good.”

Jisoo nods. She and Rosé make light conversation between them as Rosé drives them toward the school. When they arrive, Rosé parks in the parking lot, before they all get out.

“We’ll be in my classroom, whilst we wait for the game to start,” she informs Yeonjun. “Good luck, Jun.”

The bluenette smiles, and he hugs Rosé. “Thanks, noona. I’ll look forward to seeing both of you in the crowd.”

Rosé and Jisoo nod. Yeonjun smiles at them, before he walks away to head toward the field. When he arrives, he can see Nayeon and the rest. Everyone except Nayeon is sitting down, whilst she gives instructions of what’s happening tonight.

“Hi, I’m here,” Yeonjun announces.

“Yeonjun,” Nayeon says with a smile. She checks her clock, seeing that it’s a minute before four-thirty. “Right on time. I was just explaining to everyone that someone will have to do the intro, since Joy isn’t here.”

“What’s the intro going to be?” Yeonjun asks.

“Just cartwheels and backflips,” Nayeon replies. “The girls aren’t comfortable enough yet to do it on their own. Maybe  _ you  _ can do it?”

“Um, if no one else wants to then sure,” Yeonjun accepts, much to Nayeon’s relief.

“Thank you,” she says. “Anyway, now that everyone is in their practice clothes already, I guess we can start practice now. Everyone, get in your positions. Yeonjun, I’ll teach you Joy’s part.”

Yeonjun nods. He watches as Nayeon does a few cartwheels and backflips, and he nods again to himself, sure he can do it. Nayeon stops to let him try, and that’s what he does. Everyone is amazed at how fast he learned, but he knows he’s going to keep practicing to perfect it.

Before anyone knows it, the clock strikes five p.m. They only had thirty minutes of practice, but they know they need a lot more to get ready. As they walk into the locker room, some of the girls head to the showers, whilst the rest remain by their lockers. Yeonjun would go shower, but he isn’t that sweaty, and it’d take too long to blow dry his hair.

“You nervous, Yeonjun?” one of his teammates, Hirai Momo, questions. They both have their lockers next to each other.

“A bit,” Yeonjun admits. “But I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

“Me, too,” Momo agrees. “Especially with you on our team.”

Yeonjun giggles, a bit shy at Momo’s compliment. They continue getting ready, and since it’s his first time wearing it, Yeonjun has a bit of difficulty putting the dress on, but luckily, Momo is quick to help him. Once he gets the dress on, it reaches a few inches above his mid-thigh, showing practically all of his legs. Nayeon wasn’t lying when she said the dresses barely cover anything.

“Wow, Yeonjun, you look great,” Momo says, a bit shocked at how  _ well  _ the dress fits Yeonjun. It fits the male like a glove, hugging every single of his curves just right. “You probably look better than all of us here.”

“Heh, I’m not so sure about that, noona,” he chuckles. “But thanks. You look great, too.”

“Momo isn’t lying, Yeonjun,” comes Nayeon’s voice behind them. 

Yeonjun turns, smiling at Nayeon. “Thanks, noona.”

“Yeah,” she says. Nayeon turns, looking at their team. “Who’s doing hair and makeup again?!”

“I am!” one of the girls, Kwon Eunbin, replies. 

“Great,” Nayeon says. “Let’s get ready, everyone!”

It takes a few long minutes, but Eunbin eventually gets Yeonjun to do his hair and makeup. For his hair, she makes it wavy, and just like she’s going to do for everyone, she sprinkles some glitter onto his hair to make it shine underneath the show lights of the field. For his makeup, she places purple glittery eyeshadow, eyeliner, and mascara on his eyes, red lipstick on his lips, and body glitter on his cheekbones, adding a small heart diamond jewel underneath his left eye.

“There,” she says, pulling away. “All done, Yeonjun.”

The bluenette smiles, looking at himself in the mirror. Yeonjun’s eyes slightly widen at the sight of himself, amazed at how  _ beautiful  _ he looks. He’s sure he’s going to make Soobin’s jaw drop.

“Thanks, Eunbin,” Yeonjun says. “You’re the best.”

Eunbin smiles at Yeonjun, before he gets up, letting her get another girl ready. Yeonjun walks toward the corner, where the cheerleaders who are ready are staying.

Not long after, it is finally time for them to go out into the field. 

“Alright, listen up, everybody!” Nayeon calls out. “We’re going to do our best! No mistakes, okay? We’ve trained for this for the whole year, so we should be prepared. We’re going to do great. And Yeonjun, good luck.”

Everyone nods. They slowly pile out of the locker room, just in time for the football team’s coach to approach them. He leads them toward their places, and once the principal announces for the cheerleaders to come out, the crowd starts cheering. Yeonjun’s team whispers encouraging words to him, and he smiles in thanks, before he starts the intro. All the cheerleaders have safety shorts underneath their dresses, so they won’t flash anyone.

Once Yeonjun’s intro is done, the rest of his team comes out, making the crowd cheer louder. Together, Yeonjun and his team do their dance, making sure no mistake is made. Luckily, nothing bad happens, and once their dance is done, the football team comes out. Yeonjun’s eyes immediately land on Soobin, his heart fluttering at how handsome the younger one looks. Sensing eyes on him, Soobin looks up, locking eyes with Yeonjun. Soobin’s eyes widen, and his mouth falls open a little. Yeonjun giggles, and he waves at Soobin excitedly with one of his pom-poms.

“May the game begin!”

And it does. The football team starts playing against their rival team, and luckily, the school’s football team has the most points. Yeonjun is with his team, cheering on for Soobin, Beomgyu, and Kai. As the game continues, everyone grows anxious for who's going to win. Mostly everyone is cheering for the high school, but they are getting to a close tie with the other team.

An hour into the game, that’s when one of the coaches calls a timeout. Both football teams are exhausted, drenched in sweat. They head toward their benches, and get a lecture from their coach about how bad or good they’re doing. Unfortunately, Soobin’s team gets the former. 

“You guys need to try harder,” their coach scolds. “How are we going to win if y’all are going to be slow?”

“We’re sorry, Coach,” Beomgyu apologizes. “We’ll try harder this time.”

“You better,” the coach grumbles. “We have one more minute until we go back into the game.”

The team nods, and they sigh once their coach walks away. Some of the cheerleaders go to the football team, especially since their boyfriends are members of the team. Yeonjun decides to go after them, heading to Soobin, Beomgyu, and Hueningkai.

“H-hey, guys,” Yeonjun greets slowly.

Soobin, Beomgyu, and Kai look up, surprised to see Yeonjun.

“Hyung.” Hueningkai is first to speak up—Beomgyu is busy drinking his water, whilst Soobin can’t get any words out, because of what Yeonjun is wearing. “I forgot you were in the cheer team.”

Yeonjun smiles. “You guys are doing great.”

“Are we?” Beomgyu scoffs. “The other team is winning.”

“No, they’re not,” Yeonjun reminds. “They’re only off by one point.”

“Yeah, just one,” Kai grumbles. “Just two more, and they’re going to win.”

“Kai Kamal Huening, Choi Beomgyu, and Choi Soobin, don’t think so lowly of yourselves,” Yeonjun scolds. “You three are the best football players I know. You three are hardworking, and I know that if you guys have your minds set on winning, you guys are going to. Don’t let the other team get into your heads. You three are amazing, and that says a lot, because I’m usually more amazing than all three of you.”

Soobin chuckles, finally making a sound. “Yeah, right, kitten.”

“Hey, I’m trying to be nice here,” Yeonjun says playfully. “Just have hope, okay? I know me, Tae, Rosé-noona, and a lot of other people here do.”

“Yeah, okay,” Beomgyu sighs. “Thanks, hyung.”

Yeonjun nods. Beomgyu and Hueningkai are then pulled into another conversation by one of their teammates, which leaves Soobin and Yeonjun alone. Yeonjun looks back at Soobin, cupping his cheek softly.

“Hey, you okay?” Yeonjun asks.

“Yeah,” Soobin says. “Mostly.”

“Hey, you’ll be fine,” Yeonjun reassures, wrapping his arms around Soobin’s neck. “I believe in you. And that should mean a lot because I’m your boyfriend.”

Soobin chuckles, wrapping his arms around Yeonjun’s waist. “You sure are,” he mutters, leaning his forehead against Yeonjun’s. “By the way, don’t you think you’re being mean?”

Yeonjun pulls away, looking at Soobin in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I couldn’t keep my eyes off your little dress during the game,” he whispers lowly in Yeonjun’s ear, licking the shell. Soobin’s hands trail down until they reach the hem of Yeonjun’s cheerleader dress. “Made me want to take it off you in front of everyone.”

“Y-yah, Choi Soobin!” he exclaims, turning red. “D-don’t be so dirty.”

Soobin laughs, pecking Yeonjun’s lips. “I’m just kidding, kitten. Well, kind of. Thanks again for your lovely words.”

“Of course,” he says with a small smile. “Anything for my love.”

Soobin smiles. “You look  _ gorgeous _ , by the way.”

Yeonjun winks at him. “Only for you, my love.”

Soobin rolls his eyes at Yeonjun, before the two let go of each other. Yeonjun reaches on his tippy toes to kiss Soobin on the cheek, smiling at him. Soobin smiles back, and Yeonjun walks back toward his team, just in time for Soobin’s coach to come back to them.

The game soon begins again a few seconds later. Everyone gets in their position, and someone throws the ball. Fortunately, Soobin’s team gains more points than they already have, making their rival team have four fewer points than them. The time is running out, so everyone’s sure Soobin’s team is going to win.

“This is our last round, guys,” he says as they huddle up again. “Try your best.”

“We will, Captain,” his team assures.

Soobin nods. “Beomgyu, you’re going to throw me the ball, and I’ll make it to the goal. Everyone else, defend me, okay?”

Soobin’s team nods this time, and they pull away. Everyone gets in their positions again, and the last round begins. Luckily, Soobin’s team gets the ball, and the person who has it throws it to Beomgyu. The raven-haired male, fortunately, catches it, and he throws it to Soobin. He catches it, and runs toward the goal. The rest of his team tries to defend him, and before anyone knows it, Soobin makes it to the goal, throwing the ball. Immediately, the alarms start going off, and the crowd erupts into cheers. Their rival team huffs in defeat, whilst Soobin’s team cheers with the crowd.

The cheer team also cheers for the football team, waving their pom-poms around. Everyone sees the team head toward the principal to receive their trophy, and Soobin happily accepts it. 

It takes a way longer time than Yeonjun expected, but he finally heads toward Soobin, jumping on him. Soobin lets out a small ‘oof’, but smiles as he wraps his arms tightly around Yeonjun’s waist.

“Yay, Soobinie, you did it!” he squeals as he pulls away. “I knew you could do it.”

Soobin smiles, placing Yeonjun down on the ground. “Thanks, hyung. I knew I could trust you.”

Yeonjun smiles. Not caring that they’re in front of the whole school, he loops his arms around Soobin’s neck, and pulls him into a kiss. Soobin is a bit surprised, but he happily kisses Yeonjun back, placing his hand that isn’t carrying the trophy on the small of Yeonjun’s back. They would’ve kissed for a longer time if they didn’t hear their friends heading toward them.

“Yay, we did it, gang!” Beomgyu cheers as he jumps up and down excitedly. “We won!”

“We  _ have  _ to go celebrate,” Taehyun says, Beomgyu’s arm around his small waist. “My uncle owns this  _ amazing  _ restaurant, and I think we can all go free. How does that sound?”

“I’m okay with that,” Hueningkai says. “Let’s just go home to shower first. We’re all sweaty.”

“Who’s going to keep the trophy?” Yeonjun asks.

“Soobin-hyung can,” Beomgyu replies. “He’s worked the hardest for it, and I think he deserves to keep it.”

“I think he deserves it, too,” Kai agrees.

“Thanks, guys,” Soobin says. “Hey, have you guys seen my parents anywhere?”

“They said they had an emergency to go to,” Taehyun informs.

“Really?” Soobin frowns. “What emergency?”

“I-I don’t know,” Taehyun says. “But Ah-In-noona was quick to get them out.”

“That’s weird,” Yeonjun mutters. 

The others nod in agreement. Beomgyu speaks up to probably change the subject, but Yeonjun doesn’t know, since he’s too busy scanning the crowd. He’s surprised that Rosé and Jisoo didn’t come down to congratulate Soobin, Beomgyu, and Hueningkai, but soon realizes why: they were never here. Yeonjun didn’t see them when the football team won, and wonders why they suddenly left.

Now that he thinks about it, Yeonjun thinks it’s weird that both Soobin’s family  _ and  _ Rosé and Jisoo left at the same time. If they had an ‘emergency’ to go to, why didn’t they tell Taehyun what it was? He’s trustworthy enough, so why didn’t they tell him?

Yeonjun sighs, shaking his head. Right now isn’t the time to worry about that. Now’s the time to celebrate with his friends and boyfriend, and maybe even celebrate with Soobin  _ alone  _ later tonight. 


	23. Party

Since everyone seems to have the same mindset as Yeonjun, no one says anything about alerting Soobin’s family, Jisoo, and Rosé where they are going to be. 

“We’ll drop you guys off at Yeonjun-hyung’s house,” Soobin says as they walk out of their school ten minutes later. Luckily for them, the whole school wanted to congratulate Soobin and his team for winning. 

“Okay,” Yeonjun says. “Wait, weren’t you supposed to meet up with the scholarship person?”

“That’s on Monday, I think,” Soobin says. “We’re fine for now, kitten.”

Yeonjun nods. He and the rest continue walking, and soon arrive in the school’s parking lot. They reach Beomgyu’s car a few minutes later, and they all get in, since the car has five seats. Just right for the five of them. Beomgyu and Taehyun sit in the front, whilst Soobin, Yeonjun, and Hueningkai are all sort of squished in the back. 

“So, we’re going to Yeonjun-hyung’s house first?” Beomgyu asks as he starts driving.

“Yeah,” Kai replies. “Wait, Tae, is your uncle okay with us going to his restaurant this late?”

“I think so,” Taehyun mutters, yet he takes out his phone. “Let me check in with him first.”

The others nod. Taehyun dials his uncle’s number, and waits for his uncle to pick up. He does a few seconds later, and the two talk for around a minute, before Taehyun hangs up, sighing. “He said we can’t, since he forgot to leave the keys.”

“That’s fine, Tae,” Soobin assures. “I’m sure we can find something else to do.”

As if on cue, Yeonjun’s phone dings. He takes it out, seeing that Nayeon sent a message in the group chat he, Nayeon, and the other cheerleaders are in.

**nayeon:** **  
** party at youngjae’s house!   
****

**momo:** **  
** u bet i’ll be there!

**yeonjun:** **  
** youngjae?

**yeonjun:** **  
** who’s that?

**nayeon:** **  
** im jaebum’s boyfriend

**nayeon:** **  
** he’s holding a party bc of the team’s win

**yeonjun:** **  
** address?

“Hey, do you guys know Im Jaebum or Choi Youngjae?” Yeonjun asks as he looks at the address Nayeon sent him.

“Yeah,” Beomgyu replies. “He’s on the team.”

“His boyfriend is holding a party for your guys’ team winning,” Yeonjun informs. “You guys wanna go?”

“Hell yeah,” Hueningkai says. “Where is it?”

“At his house,” Yeonjun says. “It’s around twenty minutes from where I live.”

“Well, let’s go, then,” Soobin says. The others nod in agreement.

Not long after, Beomgyu finally arrives at Yeonjun’s house. Even though Taehyun didn’t bring any spare clothes with him, Yeonjun assured him he can borrow some of his. Both Yeonjun and Taehyun get out of Beomgyu’s car after kissing their boyfriends and telling Kai goodbye. They wave at the other three, before Beomgyu drives away to his house, so he and the other two can get ready.

“Where do you think Soobin-hyung’s family and Rosé-noona went, hyung?” Taehyun asks as he and Yeonjun climb up the older’s porch.

“Probably to be alone,” he says, taking out his keys. “They probably lied about having to go to an emergency.”

“But what if they weren’t?” Taehyun says, stepping inside Yeonjun’s house after he unlocks the front door.

“Tae, everything’s going to be fine,” he assures, closing the door behind them. “Tonight is about having fun, and not worrying. I’m sure they’ll keep us updated.”

Taehyun sighs in defeat. “Fine.”

Yeonjun smiles. “Do you want to take a shower? I’m sure I do.”

Taehyun lets out a small giggle. “Um, sure, hyung.”

Yeonjun nods. He leads Taehyun up the stairs, where they soon arrive in his bedroom. Yeonjun lets Taehyun shower in his bedroom, and he showers in Rosé’s. Yeonjun finishes before Taehyun does, making sure he smells good and looks glowy during his shower. Five minutes after Yeonjun got out, Taehyun walks out of his bathroom, smiling at Yeonjun.

“What clothes do you want to wear, Tae?” he questions, heading toward his closet.

“You can choose for me, hyung,” Taehyun replies. “Your fashion sense is better than mine.”

“You have a good fashion taste, Tae,” Yeonjun says. 

“Not as good as yours.”

Yeonjun shakes his head playfully, continuing to look for an outfit for Taehyun. Yeonjun soon finds one a few minutes later, and he shows it to Taehyun.

“How about this?”

“That’s perfect,” he answers. “Wow, hyung.”

Yeonjun smiles proudly. “I’m sure Beom will love to see you in it.”

Taehyun shyly giggles, feeling his face heat up. Yeonjun lets Taehyun start getting dressed, whilst he searches for his outfit. He  _ loved  _ the reaction he got out of Soobin earlier, especially at his dress. Yeonjun wants to get the same reaction for him, so he digs deeper into his closet, knowing he has a secret bag in there. 

Even though Rosé doesn’t mind Yeonjun wearing skirts, crop tops, etc., he still keeps a secret stash of them in the back of his closet. Probably for emergencies. He takes the bag out, and skims through it until he finds a white pleated skirt, a dark red criss-cross tie crop top, and thigh-high boots. He smiles giddily, taking the outfit out. 

“How does this look?” he says, showing it to Taehyun.

“It looks perfect, hyung,” he assures. 

Yeonjun smiles, and he puts the bag back. He turns, finally looking at what Taehyun is wearing: a black spaghetti strap crop top, a beige, black, and white plaid skirt, a red denim jacket, and black combat boots. Yeonjun has seen Taehyun wearing skirts before in school, which is why he chose that outfit for him.

“Wow, you look beautiful, Tae,” Yeonjun says.

Taehyun smiles. “Thanks, hyung.”

Yeonjun nods. He changes into his outfit, before he and Taehyun help each other get ready. Taehyun does Yeonjun’s hair makeup, and Yeonjun the same to Taehyun. When they figure they are both ready, they look at each other in the body-length mirror Yeonjun has in his room. He looks over himself, especially at his face, making sure his mascara or eyeliner aren’t smudged. Taehyun was nice enough to place a heart diamond jewel underneath his right eye, just like Eunbin did. Yeonjun returned the favor.

“Do you think they’re almost done?” Taehyun asks as they walk downstairs.

Yeonjun checks his phone to see the time, but is surprised when he sees multiple missed texts and calls from Hueningkai. 

“Apparently, they’re outside already,” Yeonjun mutters.

Taehyun’s head snaps toward Yeonjun. “They are?”

The blue-haired male nods, showing his phone to Taehyun. “You ready, then, Tae?”

“I guess,” he says.

Yeonjun nods. He and Taehyun make sure they have all their things, before walking out of Yeonjun’s house. He closes the door behind them, and they turn, surprised to only see Kai in his car. Yeonjun and Taehyun look at each other, before they walk toward Hueningkai.

“Hi, Kai,” Yeonjun greets.

“Hi, guys,” Hueningkai returns. He looks up from his phone, his eyes widening once he sees Yeonjun and Taehyun. “Damn, you guys look nice.”

Taehyun giggles. “Thanks, Kai. Where’s Beom and Soobin-hyung?”

“We were getting ready at Beomgyu-hyung’s house, but our team ambushed us there,” Hueningkai explains. “I was lucky enough to get out, so I came to pick you guys up. They’ll meet us at Youngjae-hyung’s house.”

Yeonjun and Taehyun slowly nod, a bit worried for their boyfriends. They get inside Kai’s car, Yeonjun getting in the front, whilst Taehyun sits in the back. Hueningkai drives them toward Youngjae’s house, and they arrive almost twenty-five minutes later. They would’ve arrived earlier if it weren’t for traffic.

“Wow, Youngjae has a nice house,” Yeonjun says as he and the younger two get out of Kai’s car.

“He does,” Taehyun agrees. “I didn’t know he was rich.”

“His dad is a famous CEO,” Hueningkai explains. “Why do you guys think every party is held at his house?”

“I thought he was just popular,” Yeonjun mutters.

Kai laughs. “Yeah, right. You two ready to go in?”

Yeonjun and Taehyun hesitate before they nod. They follow behind Hueningkai inside Choi Youngjae’s house, music filling their ears, and the scent of alcohol, sweat, and sex filling their nostrils. Taehyun slightly gags at the scent, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

“Do you guys want a drink?!” Hueningkai asks over the music.

“Hell yeah!” Yeonjun replies.

Kai nods, and he leads Yeonjun and Taehyun toward the bar. It’s a bit quieter, which makes Taehyun sigh in relief. The bartender is the same age as them, so she doesn’t bother asking their age. Hueningkai orders himself an aviation cocktail, Yeonjun a Bellini cocktail, and Taehyun just orange juice, since he doesn’t want to drink.

It’s obvious it isn’t Yeonjun’s first time drinking, but he still winces when the cocktail goes down his throat, burning it slightly. Kai does the same, whilst Taehyun just enjoys his juice.

“Should we wait for Soobin and Beomgyu hyung?” Taehyun says, placing his glass down.

“Hey, Tae, grab your drink,” Yeonjun says quickly. “Don’t leave it out of your hand, or at least out of your sight.”

Taehyun is quick to grab his glass again, looking at Yeonjun in confusion. “Why, hyung?”

“There’s a lot of creeps at parties,” Hueningkai explains. “If you don’t pay attention to your drink, they might slip a drug or something in, which makes you dizzy, fuzzy, or unaware of what’s going around you. Some people take it to their advantage, so just be careful, Tae.”

The blonde nods, a bit scared now. “A-anyway, then, should we wait for Soobin and Beomgyu hyung?”

“I say we do,” Yeonjun answers. “I’m not partying until Soobinie gets here.”

Taehyun and Kai shake their heads at Yeonjun. The three continue waiting, and a  _ long  _ twenty minutes later, two familiar people stumble inside the kitchen. They have small scowls on their faces, but it quickly vanishes when they turn their heads, seeing their boyfriends leaning against the bar, dressed in  _ skirts _ ,  _ crop tops _ , and  _ boots _ . 

“H-hey, guys.” Soobin is first to speak up, gulping a bit nervously.

Yeonjun, Taehyun, and Hueningkai stop talking amongst each other to turn around, their eyes landing on Soobin and Beomgyu. The two are dressed in simple clothes, Soobin even having the audacity to wear a leather jacket. Yeonjun lets out a small whimper at how  _ hot  _ Soobin looks. 

“About time you guys arrive,” Kai grumbles. 

“Heh, sorry,” Beomgyu says apologetically, he and Soobin walking over toward them. “The guys wouldn’t leave us alone.”

“Yeah, we can tell,” Taehyun says sarcastically.

Beomgyu smiles, and he walks toward his boyfriend to probably tell him how beautiful he looks. Soobin does the same, walking toward Yeonjun, and wrapping his arm around the older’s waist.

“Hey,” Soobin greets softly, pressing a soft kiss on Yeonjun’s temple. “Sorry I kept you waiting.”

“You should be sorry,” he frowns. “My makeup almost got ruined.”

Soobin chuckles, and he wraps his other arm around Yeonjun, pulling him closer. “M’sorry, kitten. Can you forgive me?”

“Maybe,” he says, wrapping his arms around Soobin’s neck. “What if I don’t?”

“Then too bad, because you have to,” he says playfully. Soobin doesn’t let Yeonjun say anything else before engulfing him in a kiss. Yeonjun melts into it, his eyes fluttering shut as he kisses Soobin back. Both couples are kissing, Hueningkai being the odd one out.

“Can you guys stop kissing now?” he says, breaking their kiss. 

Beomgyu and Taehyun stop kissing, smiling sheepishly at Kai. However, Soobin and Yeonjun continue kissing. Soobin’s hands trail down until they reach Yeonjun’s hips, pressing him against the counter of the bar. Yeonjun lets out a soft moan at that, kissing Soobin with more need.

“Hey, hyungs!” Beomgyu calls out, shaking Soobin’s arm. “You two can stop kissing now!”

It takes a few seconds, but Soobin and Yeonjun finally pull away. They’re both breathing a bit heavily, and finally remember where they are. 

“Oh, sorry, guys,” Soobin says apologetically.

“You guys basically had your tongues down each other’s throat,” Taehyun chuckles. 

“Which is gross,” Hueningkai adds.

“Hueningkai, stop being so homophobic,” Yeonjun says, rolling his eyes.

“We’re here to party!” Kai whines. “Not to watch you guys make out.”

“Hyuka’s right,” Soobin sighs. “Let’s start the party, yeah?”

“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” Hueningkai says with a bright smile. He turns toward the bartender. “Four whiskeys and one more orange juice, please.”

* * *

For the next hour, the five party. They drink, dance, talk, eat, and kiss. They talk and eat with other people, mostly their friends, and currently, Yeonjun is with his cheer team. They’re all on a balcony on the second floor, celebrating their victory night. The football team is probably on another balcony, celebrating as well.

“To our favorite team’s win,” Nayeon says, holding out her glass. 

“To the team!”

The cheer team gulps down their drinks, giggling right after. They’re all pretty tipsy, but sober enough to know what’s going on. Yeonjun is probably the drunkest out of all of them, since he’s drank the most so far. 

“So, Yeonjun, you and Soobin, huh?” Nayeon says, waggling her eyebrows.

Yeonjun giggles. “What do you want to know?”

“Is it true you guys are dating?” Momo asks, wanting to know the tea.

“For two weeks, I think,” Yeonjun mutters.

“You guys are already so cute,” Eunbin says. “I wish I can find a partner like that soon.”

“We all do,” Nayeon sighs. “How’s dating Soobin going like, Yeonjun? Have you guys…?”

“No we haven’t,” he says. “But I bet he’s pretty big.”

Momo squeals, squirming in her seat. “It’s kinda obvious he is. You must’ve saved a country your past life to end up with someone like Soobin, Yeonjun.”

“I am pretty lucky, aren’t I?” he says smugly, leaning back against his chair.

“Sorry to interrupt your time, ladies, but we’re going to need the vodka,” a new male’s voice says.

The cheer team looks up, noticing three members of the football team.

“Go right ahead, Ji-hoon,” Nayeon says. “We’re almost done with it, anyway.”

“Are all of you by yourselves?” ‘Ji-hoon’ chuckles, grabbing the vodka bottle.

“No,” Momo scoffs. “We’re all here together. Duh.”

“He meant with a partner, smartmouth,” Ji-hoon’s buddy says, rolling his eyes.

“Oh, well, Yeonjun is,” Eunbin says. “He’s with Soobin.”

“Ah, so  _ you’re  _ Soobin-hyung’s new ‘boyfriend’,” the third guy says with a small smirk, raking his eyes down Yeonjun’s body, marveling at the skin Yeonjun is showing. “I can see why he’s into you. Say, have you guys have sex yet?”

“It’s none of your fucking business,” he snaps.

“Ooh, snarky,” the guy says. “I like that.”

Yeonjun scoffs. “You guys can leave now.”

“Nah,” the guy says. “I think I’ma stay.”

“Leave, Jung-hoon,” Nayeon says, rolling her eyes. “You heard the man.”

“Aw, but I want to stay,” ‘Jung-hoon’ pouts. He sits down in front of Yeonjun, smirking at him. “I want to be friends with Yeonjun-hyungie.”

“Well, I don’t,” he says. “Leave.”

“No thanks,” Jung-hoon says. “Come on, Yeonjun. If Soobin-hyung’s not going to show you a good time, maybe I can…” He places his hand on Yeonjun’s bare thigh, letting his fingers trail up. 

Yeonjun glares at Jung-hoon, smacking his hand away. “Leave me the hell alone, you bastard.”

“Do what he says, or I’ll call Dean,” Momo warns. “You know I will.”

“No, noona, it’s okay,” Yeonjun says with a fake smile. “I’ll leave.”

“Yeonjun-”

“Hope you enjoy your stay, you bastard,” he scowls at Jung-hoon.

Yeonjun storms out of the balcony, walking inside the house again. He’s still a bit tipsy, but fortunately is sober enough to know where he’s going. He knows Soobin is somewhere in the house, as well as his friends, so he’s making it his mission to see whom he can find first.

But Yeonjun doesn’t even get to reach the bottom of the stairs when he feels a rough hand grab his wrist.

“Oh, you’re not leaving so easily, you little fucking bitch.”

Yeonjun tenses up at the familiar voice, turning around to glare at Jung-hoon. “Let go of me.”

“No thanks,” he replies, pushing Yeonjun up against the wall. “I say, we have some fun, or I’ll just tell Soobin you’ve been cheating on him.”

Yeonjun scoffs. “He won’t believe you.”

“I’ve known him since middle school,” Jung-hoon says. “I’m his friend, too. Who do you think he’s going to believe more?”

Yeonjun glares at Jung-hoon, but knows he has a point. Yeonjun flinches away when Jung-hoon places a cold hand on his waist, but Jung-hoon grabs it firmly, so Yeonjun can’t move. Jung-hoon’s other hand starts trailing down Yeonjun’s body, stopping at his thigh. Jung-hoon’s hand moves upward to reach underneath Yeonjun’s skirt, but before it can, he feels someone grab his shoulder roughly, before a strong pain hits his nose.

“Hey, man, what the fuck?!” he exclaims, holding his probably broken nose.

“Keep your hands off my boyfriend, Im,” Soobin growls, pulling Yeonjun to his side. “I see you lay a finger on him again, and I’ll do more than just punching you. Now get out of my sight, before I kick you off the team.”

“He was too whiny, anyway,” Jung-hoon grumbles, before he leaves Soobin and Yeonjun alone.

Once Jung-hoon is out of sight, Soobin’s anger disappears from his face, and he looks at Yeonjun, his eyes and face filled with concern and worry.

“Are you okay, hyung?” he asks. “That bastard didn’t do anything, right?”

“I-I’m fine, Soobin,” Yeonjun assures. “Thank you. I-I was about to kick him in the balls, but that’s when you stepped in.”

Even though Yeonjun sounds playful, Soobin still frowns. “I’m sorry, hyung. I know I shouldn’t have left you like that.”

“Hey, it’s not your fault,” Yeonjun says softly. “It’s that prick’s fault for touching what’s not his. Only  _ you  _ can touch me, Bin. No one else.”

Soobin raises an eyebrow. “Really? Are you saying you belong to me?”

Yeonjun smiles, wrapping his arms around Soobin’s neck. Yeonjun leans on his tippy toes, pressing a soft kiss on Soobin’s lips. “Only you.”

Soobin smiles, and he brings Yeonjun into a kiss. Yeonjun happily kisses back, his grip on Soobin getting tighter. Soobin’s grip on Yeonjun’s waist does the same, and it may just be the alcohol, but Soobin wraps Yeonjun’s legs around his waist, pushing him more up against the wall. Yeonjun moans against Soobin’s lips, tugging on his raven hair slightly.

The two then pull away for air, staring into each other’s eyes. Yeonjun lets out a small smile, pressing an innocent kiss on Soobin’s nose.

“Why don’t we take this to the bedroom?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'll probs add an extra chap or 2


	24. Worried

The next morning, Soobin is the first one to wake up between him and Yeonjun. His head is pounding slightly, which makes him thank himself for not drinking too much last night. He looks around him, noticing that he and Yeonjun are in a bedroom. It looks pretty big, so it must be the main bedroom. 

_ Wait…hyung and I are in a bedroom, laying down  _ together _. Did we…? _

Soobin is quick to look at Yeonjun, and (finding it a bit weird) relief washes over him. Yeonjun is still dressed in his clothes from last night, and his crop top or skirt isn’t off. Only his boots are. Soobin looks down at himself, seeing that he’s fully dressed as well.

Soobin sits up, trying to remember what happened last night before he passed out. He remembers being with his football team, celebrating their big win, before one of his teammates asked him if he could bring more snacks for them. Soobin complied, and he walked out of the balcony and room they were in, walking down the stairs. He walked into the kitchen, but didn’t find any snacks. A bit disappointed, he was about to head back to his team, before he noticed his boyfriend’s blue hair in the middle of the left staircase. 

At first, Soobin didn’t think any of it, but then he saw one of his teammates, Im Jung-hoon, pushing Yeonjun up against the wall. Soobin raised an eyebrow, thinking Yeonjun was ‘cheating’ on him, before he noticed the angry and disgusted look on Yeonjun’s face, and Jung-hoon’s hand trailing up Yeonjun’s skirt. Soobin didn’t know what came over him, but the next thing he knew, he was storming up the stairs, fuming with anger, and harshly pulled Jung-hoon away from his boyfriend, before punching him straight in the nose, probably breaking it.

Then, Jung-hoon stormed away, Soobin and Yeonjun made out for a bit, before Yeonjun suggested they take their ‘session’ into the bedroom. Soobin agreed, but it seems like one or both of them passed out, before anything spicy could happen.

And is Soobin glad that happened.

Sure, he’s had sex before, but Soobin doesn’t want to have sex with Yeonjun. Soobin is still angry at the older for what he did—making a bet against him without thinking about his feelings first—and Soobin has agreed to put up with kissing, holding, and being a ‘couple’ with Yeonjun. But only for the sake of his family. Soobin couldn’t care less for Yeonjun. If Joy was to suddenly tell them they could stop being a couple, Soobin would be quick to break up with Yeonjun, and never talk to him ever again.

But for now, Soobin has to act like he’s in love with Yeonjun—and to be honest, he’s sure he still is.

Soobin sighs, and his eyes roam the room for the nearest clock. He finds one nearby, and reads the time; ten-seventeen in the morning. It is pretty late, so he figures he and the rest should go home. Turning around, Soobin starts waking up Yeonjun.

“Kitten,” Soobin says, slightly shaking the older. “Wake up. We need to leave.”

“Five more minutes,” he mutters.

“Kitten, you need to go home,” Soobin reminds. “Rosé-noona’s probably worried about you.”

Yeonjun only hums in response, continuing to sleep. Soobin sighs, before an idea pops into his head. A small smirk crawls onto his face, and he leans toward Yeonjun. He places his hand on the older’s naked waist, before leaning down to his neck. Soobin presses soft butterfly kisses on Yeonjun’s neck, but he soon goes rougher, kissing, sucking, and biting on Yeonjun’s soft skin. Soobin starts going lower, and Yeonjun doesn’t take long to start letting out soft moans. Soobin chuckles, and he bites down on Yeonjun’s collarbone, licking over the spot he bit, before sucking a hickey onto it.

As if he suddenly acknowledges what Soobin is doing, Yeonjun’s eyes quickly snap open. Soobin notices, and he looks up, smirking at Yeonjun.

“Morning, kitten,” Soobin greets.

“W-what are you doing?” Yeonjun asks, a bit nervously.

“Trying to wake you up,” Soobin replies, getting up. “And now that it worked, we need to leave. I don’t think my nose can handle the smell of this place anymore.”

Yeonjun nods in agreement, before he groans in pain. His head starts pounding, as if a hammer is pounding inside of it. He clutches his head, cursing himself for drinking so much last night. Soobin shakes his head, and helps Yeonjun sit up.

“I’m sure there’s some aspirin downstairs,” Soobin says, pulling on his shoes. “Where do you think Beom, Tae, and Hyuka are?”

“P-probably together,” Yeonjun mutters. “Ugh, I think they’re hungover, too. Wait, why aren’t you groaning in pain?”

“Unlike you, kitten, I was smart enough to not drink that much,” Soobin answers. 

“Lucky bitch,” Yeonjun huffs.

Soobin chuckles, and he helps Yeonjun put his boots on. After Yeonjun is ready, Soobin helps him up, and they both walk out of the room they were in. Finally realizing they were in a room and laying in a bed  _ together _ , Yeonjun gasps, looking at Soobin with wide eyes.

“D-did we…?”

“Have sex?” he finishes. Yeonjun gulps, before he slowly nods. “Unfortunately, no.”

Yeonjun’s cheeks turn red at Soobin’s response, and he slaps Soobin’s arm. Soobin laughs, and he and Yeonjun soon finish walking down the stairs. They start searching for Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai, even trying to call them to see if their ringtone can lead them to the other three.

“Found them!” Soobin announces as he walks into the game room.

Yeonjun winces. “S-Soobin, not so loud.”

“Sorry,” he mutters.

Yeonjun nods, walking inside the game room with Soobin. The two can see their three best friends laying on the ground, Kai with his mouth open to snore  _ loudly _ , whilst Taehyun is lying on top of Beomgyu's stomach, his arms around Taehyun’s slim waist to keep him steady. 

“Aww, look at how cute Beom and Tae look,” Yeonjun gushes.

Soobin lets out a soft smile, but hates that they have to wake the three up. He walks toward Beomgyu and Taehyun, whilst Yeonjun walks toward Hueningkai. It takes a few minutes, but the younger three eventually wake up, groaning in unison as their heads start pounding.

“I’m sure there’s aspirin for us to take in the kitchen,” Soobin says. “Do you guys have your stuff?”

“Ugh, I don’t care,” Beomgyu groans. “I just want to go home.”

“Me, too,” Taehyun and Kai agree in unison.

Soobin nods, leading them toward the kitchen. He rummages through the cupboards, before finding the aspirin. He takes five pills out, serving a glass of water for all of them to share. He goes first, then Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai. 

“I volunteer to go by myself,” he says as they walk outside. “I don’t want to witness you four kissing.”

The two couples roll their eyes at Kai. The five walk out of Youngjae’s house, heading toward Beomgyu’s and Hueningkai’s cars. They say bye to Kai first, before they head toward Beomgyu’s car. Once they arrive, he unlocks it, and they all get inside. 

“Tyun, do you want me to drop you off at your house?” he asks, beginning to drive.

Taehyun shakes his head. “No one’s home today, and I don’t want to be lonely. M’want to stay at yours, hyungie.”

Beomgyu nods, smiling at his boyfriend. He looks at Soobin and Yeonjun through the rearview mirror. “Soobin-hyung, do you want me to drop you off at your house?”

“Yes, please,” he replies. 

“Yeonjun-hyung?”

“I want to go to mine,” he says. “I miss my home.”

Beomgyu nods. He drops Soobin off first, before driving toward Yeonjun’s house. They soon arrive, and he says bye to Beomgyu and Taehyun, before getting out of Beomgyu’s car. Yeonjun heads toward the front door, rummaging through his pockets for his keys. He, fortunately, finds them, and takes them out, unlocking the front door. He pushes it open, expecting to see Rosé in the living room, but Yeonjun’s eyes snap open when he realizes Rosé isn’t there.

“Noona?” he calls out. “You here?”

Yeonjun doesn’t receive a response.

He gulps, closing the door behind him. Yeonjun walks toward the kitchen, but doesn’t see Rosé there, either. He decides to check the rest of the house, calling out Rosé’s name, but she isn’t anywhere. Now Yeonjun is starting to panic. Rosé never goes anywhere without telling him first, and she at least leaves him a note if she does. But Yeonjun doesn’t find a note, and he can’t even find a trace that Rosé even stepped a foot inside the house.

“Chaeyoung?!” he calls, louder. “Chaeyoung, come on, I’m not playing!”

Tears start to fill Yeonjun’s eyes, but he blinks them back. Maybe Rosé is just playing a game on him. But she would step out if she heard the worry in Yeonjun’s voice. The male whimpers, desperate to find his cousin. Finally remembering he has his phone, he takes it out, and shakily dials Rosé’s number. 

She doesn’t answer.

Yeonjun calls her again, but she doesn’t answer this time, either. He’s starting to breathe heavily, his whole body shaking. He curses himself for not asking for Jisoo’s number. He walks toward the living room, hoping Rosé will magically be there. She isn’t, so Yeonjun finally lets out a sob.

_ Where are you, Rosé? _

Yeonjun remembers whom else he can call, and is thankful his phone still somehow has battery. He dials Soobin’s number, anxiously waiting for Soobin to pick up.

He does a few seconds later. “Hello?”

“S-Soobin.” Yeonjun can’t help but let out a sob. “I-I’m scared.”

“Hyung?” Soobin sounds confused, but alarmed. “Where are you?”

“I-I’m at my house,” Yeonjun replies. “B-but I can’t find Rosé-noona anywhere, a-and she didn’t leave a note, a-and she  _ always  _ does. W-what if something happened to her? D-do you think something did? F-fuck, this is my fault. I-I shouldn’t have left her last night-”

“Hey, hyung, stop,” Soobin orders. “Any of this isn’t your fault. I’ll be right there. Just hang on, okay? And don’t do anything stupid.”

“P-please hurry up, Binnie,” Yeonjun whispers.

Their call ends, and whilst he waits for Soobin to arrive, Yeonjun sits down on the couch, trying to keep himself sane.

* * *

“Bye, everyone,” Soobin says, unbuckling himself.

A chorus of byes is let out from the other three, and Soobin pecks Yeonjun’s lips, before getting out of Beomgyu’s car. The other three waves at him, and Beomgyu drives away. Soobin sighs, turning to climb up his porch. He rummages through his pockets, fortunately finding his keys. He unlocks the front door with them, pushing it open. 

Once he steps foot inside his house, Soobin doesn’t hear a noise. Which means his parents and siblings aren’t home. He sighs in relief.

_ Finally, some peace and quiet. _

Soobin closes the front door behind him, taking off his shoes. He heads for the stairs to head toward his room, and climbs them up, eventually reaching his room. He plops down on his bed, moaning at the softness. He thinks about taking a nice shower, before taking an even nicer nap. He gets up, undressing on the way as he gets a pair of sweats. He walks inside his bathroom, closing the door behind him. 

Soobin takes a nice twelve-minute shower, before he gets out, his raven hair damp, a damp towel around his neck, and dressed in a gray hoodie with a white shirt underneath and gray sweatpants. He plops down on his bed, losing the towel. He snuggles against his pillows, about to fall into a deep slumber, when he hears his phone start ringing. Groaning, he opens his eyes, and searches for his phone until he finds it on his nightstand. He checks the caller ID, surprised to see Yeonjun is calling him.

With a sigh, Soobin answers the call. “Hello?”

“S-Soobin.” The ravenette hears Yeonjun sob on the other line. “I-I’m scared.”

Soobin perks up at that, immediately sitting up. “Hyung?” He sounds confused, but alarmed. “Where are you?”

“I-I’m at my house,” Yeonjun replies. “B-but I can’t find Rosé-noona anywhere, a-and she didn’t leave a note, a-and she  _ always  _ does. W-what if something happened to her? D-do you think something did? F-fuck, this is my fault. I-I shouldn’t have left her last night-”

“Hey, hyung, stop,” Soobin orders. “None of this isn’t your fault. I’ll be right there. Just hang on, okay? And don’t do anything stupid.”

“P-please hurry up, Binnie,” Yeonjun whispers.

Soobin nods, even though Yeonjun can’t see it. He quickly ends their call, grabbing his keys by the door. He rushes downstairs, heading toward the garage. He gets inside his car, buckles himself in, turns it on, opens the garage door, before backing up from the garage. He shifts the gear to drive, and starts driving toward Yeonjun’s house.

Soobin arrives minutes later, parking outside the building. He gets out of his car, and heads toward the front door, knocking on it. A few seconds later, Yeonjun opens the door, but his eyes are red and puffy, tears still rolling down his now puffy cheeks.

Soobin doesn’t say anything before he brings Yeonjun into his arms. Yeonjun lets out a quiet sob, clenching the fabric of Soobin’s hoodie. Soobin rubs Yeonjun’s back comfortingly, kissing the top of his blue hair. Soobin knows he and Yeonjun can’t stay outside, since the temperature is dropping, so he leads them inside, closing the door behind them.

“Hyung,” he says softly, pulling away. 

Yeonjun’s grip gets stronger. “D-don’t leave me.”

“Hey, I’ll be right here,” Soobin assures, tilting Yeonjun’s chin up with his thumb and forefinger. “I’m right here, hyung. I’m not leaving.”

Yeonjun nods, and he wraps his arms around Soobin’s neck, leaning slightly on his tippy toes to dig his face in the crook of Soobin’s neck. He smiles, and wraps his arms around Yeonjun’s waist. Soobin picks up Yeonjun’s legs, wrapping them around his waist, before carrying him toward the living room. Once they arrive, Soobin sits down on the couch, making Yeonjun straddle his lap. Yeonjun still has his head snuggled in Soobin’s neck, so he softly takes his head out.

“What happened, hyung?” Soobin asks.

Yeonjun’s bottom lip quivers, and he sniffles, but he doesn’t let himself sob. “I-I came home, a-and Rosé-noona wasn’t home. I-I tried calling out for her, b-but she didn’t answer. Sh-she  _ always  _ tells me when she’s going out somewhere, a-and at least leaves a note. B-but she didn’t do either, a-and I can’t find her anywhere. I-I’m worried for her, Soobin.”

The younger one lets out a small frown. Now that he thinks about it, Soobin remembers his parents, siblings, Jisoo, and Rosé all disappeared last night without informing anyone. The five shrugged it off, and went partying, but it seems as if they’re not back yet.

Maybe Soobin’s parents and siblings are missing as well.

“Hey, I’m sure they’re fine,” he says. “Maybe Rosé-noona forgot to leave a note, and her battery died.”

Yeonjun sniffles, now realizing he never thought about that. “M-maybe,” he mutters.

Soobin chuckles. “You never thought about that, did you, kitten?”

Yeonjun’s face heats up, embarrassed that he probably freaked out about nothing. “M-maybe.”

Soobin laughs, pressing a soft kiss on Yeonjun’s knuckles as he brings them up to his lips. “You’re so cute.”

Yeonjun rolls his eyes, but smiles sheepishly at Soobin. The younger smiles, and he doesn’t hesitate before bringing Yeonjun into a kiss. Yeonjun is a bit surprised, but he kisses Soobin back, melting into it. Soobin’s hands roam down from Yeonjun’s waist to his hips, and he lightly squeezes Yeonjun’s ass, making him gasp. Soobin takes the chance to slip his tongue inside Yeonjun’s mouth, twirling their tongues together. Yeonjun lets out a soft moan, and Soobin finally pushes him off his lap and down the couch, climbing on top of him.

Soobin trails his hands up Yeonjun’s arms, stopping until he intertwines their fingers. He pins Yeonjun’s hands down on the couch, whilst keeping their fingers interlocked. Once the two run out of air, they pull away, and Soobin finally takes the time to observe the male underneath him: blue hair all messy and ruffled, pretty doe brown eyes glazed over, puffy pink cheeks a bit red, and pouty lips red and swollen. Soobin’s eyes trail down, stopping until they reach Yeonjun’s neck, where he remembers he left  _ hickeys  _ on it.

“You know, maybe you should wear a turtleneck for the next few days,” he mumbles, trailing his finger against the hickey he left on Yeonjun’s collarbone. “Or not. You can show people who you belong to.”

“You left hickeys on me, you leech?” he exclaims.

Soobin smiles cheekily. “Maybe.”

Yeonjun rolls his eyes. “Rude.”

“Your fault for not wanting to get up,” Soobin says.

Yeonjun rolls his eyes again, a small pout on his already pouty lips. Soobin chuckles, and he leans down to kiss Yeonjun again. Yeonjun immediately kisses back, entangling his fingers into Soobin’s raven hair. But before their kiss can get heated like last time, they hear keys jingling by the door, and Soobin is quick to get off Yeonjun, the two clearing their throats.

The front door is soon pushed open, a sigh of relief being heard. Soobin and Yeonjun can hear snow crunching and two pairs of footsteps, and Yeonjun’s eyes light up, hoping the two people that arrived are Jisoo and Rosé.

“Oh, am I glad to see you’re safe, Yeonjun,” she says, closing the door behind her and Jisoo.

“Noona!” Yeonjun squeals, getting up from the couch. He runs toward Rosé, throwing himself onto her. Rosé chuckles, hugging him back. They soon pull away, and Yeonjun has tears of relief in his eyes. “W-where were you? You had me worried sick.”

“Where was  _ I _ ?” Rosé says. “Where were  _ you _ ? I was looking for you everywhere.”

Yeonjun looks at Rosé in confusion. “W-what do you mean?”

“I got a text saying that you were in trouble,” she starts. “I told Jisoo, and we both left to go found you. We searched all of Seoul, but we couldn’t find you.”

“I-I was with Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai,” Yeonjun says, growing more confused by the second. “I was never in trouble. Who sent you that?”

“I don’t know,” Rosé says. “But they even sent me a picture of you all tied up.” Yeonjun gives Rosé a look, and she takes out her phone to show Yeonjun. But she’s taken by surprise when she doesn’t find the picture, or even the number that texted her. “What the fuck?”

“It was probably just a scam,” Yeonjun sighs. 

“How would a scam show me a picture of you all tied up?” Rosé says pointedly.

“It was probably just a prank, noona,” Soobin finally steps in.

“Maybe,” Rosé mutters. “But whatever. All that matters is that you two are safe.”

“Are you guys okay?” Yeonjun asks.

“We’re fine,” Rosé assures. “We’re just tired. That reminds me, unnie, do you want to take a shower, or change your clothes?”

“I want to do both, but take a bath instead,” Jisoo replies with a small yawn. “M’tired.”

Rosé nods, rubbing her girlfriend’s back. “Go ahead. I’ll catch up.”

Jisoo nods this time, before she starts walking up the stairs. Once she’s out of sight and earshot, Rosé turns back to Soobin and Yeonjun.

“Why didn’t you think of calling me?” he questions as he walks toward the kitchen to make some tea for Jisoo and Rosé.

“I tried, but you wouldn’t answer,” she says. “Jisoo even tried, too, but we had no luck.”

“I don’t have a missed call from either of you,” Yeonjun frowns.

“I even tried to call Soobin,” Rosé adds.

Soobin raises an eyebrow. “I never got a call from you, noona.”

“That’s weird,” Rosé mutters. 

“Maybe you and Jisoo-noona are just tired,” Yeonjun says. “Go upstairs, take a bath with Jisoo-noona, relax with her, and come downstairs to drink your tea. I’m making chamomile.”

Rosé nods, her eyelids seeming a bit heavy. She squeezes Yeonjun’s hand, before she pulls away. She smiles at Soobin and Yeonjun, and finally walks upstairs to join her girlfriend in the bath.

“I think someone plotted this,” Soobin says quietly once Rosé is out of sight. 

“Plotted this?” Yeonjun repeats, a bit disbelief. “Who would plot this, Soobin?”

The younger one gives Yeonjun a look. “Who do you think, Yeonjun? Who’s been against this the whole time? We’re even  _ ‘dating’  _ because of her.”

“Joy?” he scoffs. “Please. She’s left us alone. I think she moved or something.”

“Psychopaths always plan their moves,” Soobin reminds. “Especially smarter ones. Why do you think Soo-young wasn’t at the game yesterday? She’s plotting something big. She even told me when you and Rosé-noona were at the hospital.”

“She told me, too,” Yeonjun mutters, barely realizing it. “That little bitch.”

“Well, on the bright side, Jisoo nor Rosé noona look hurt,” Soobin says. “That’s a good thing.”

Yeonjun nods in agreement. “But why? Why would she distract Rosé, Jisoo, your parents, and siblings? Especially if she wasn’t going to do anything to them.”

“Maybe to remind us who’s in charge,” Soobin mumbles. “Or scare us. Soo-young’s crazy, Yeonjun. She’ll do anything to get what she wants.”

“But we never did anything to her,” he frowns. “We were happy before she arrived.”

“I know,” Soobin sighs. “I just want to know what her ‘big’ endgame is.”


	25. Tickets

Surprisingly, the rest of Saturday, Sunday, and the week that follows after go by smoothly. Just like Rosé and Jisoo did, Soobin’s parents and siblings return home the same day Jisoo and Rosé did. He found them when he got home, and he was immediately bombarded by questions. He assured them he was okay, and the rest, especially his parents, were a bit hesitant, before they decided to let it go. They also said someone had texted them, saying that Soobin was kidnapped, and even sent them a picture of Soobin tied up. Soobin knows Joy is the one behind this, but doesn’t tell his family anything, telling them it was probably just a prank to scare them. His parents seem a bit hesitant, but they eventually let it go.

On Monday, Soobin’s day is packed. Since the winter dance is just in four days, he and the rest of the student council have more planning to do. Plus, Soobin has to meet up with the dean of Seoul University to see if he can finally get that scholarship. Luckily, the day goes by well, and to Soobin’s _extreme_ relief, he gets the scholarship. His parents and friends take him out to celebrate.

(yeonjun couldn’t go, since he’s grounded.)

Also, no one sees Joy for the rest of the week. No one sees a sign of her. Some people even start a rumor that she moved away, but Soobin and Yeonjun know better than that. Park Soo-young wouldn’t just leave like that. She has something planned, and no one, especially Soobin and Yeonjun, knows what it is.

Currently, today is Thursday. Also known as the day before the dance. Practically almost everyone has bought their tickets, and Yeonjun is planning to as well, but he’s doubtful that he’ll get to use them. However, he’s making it his goal to make Rosé let him go by asking—begging—him to let him go.

Speaking of which, Yeonjun is buying the tickets right now.

Only four members of the student council are selling them: Soobin and Park Jihyo, and Park Jimin and Kim Yugyeom. Soobin and Jihyo are near the cafeteria, whilst Jimin and Yugyeom are by the field. Luckily enough, it is lunch, so there’s a long line by the cafeteria, and Yeonjun is in the middle. Yet, the line goes by fast, and it is soon Yeonjun’s turn. Luckily for him, he gets Soobin.

“Kitten?” he says, confused as his eyes land on Yeonjun. “Why are  _ you  _ buying tickets? Aren’t you grounded?”

“Yeah, but I’m sure I can convince Rosé-noona to let me go,” he says with a small smile, taking out his wallet.

“Good luck,” Soobin mutters. “How many?”

“Are you gonna go to the dance?” Yeonjun asks, even though the answer is pretty obvious.

“Yeah, but I’m going for free, since I’m a member of the student council,” Soobin replies.

Yeonjun nods. “Then I’ll buy two.”

“Two?” Soobin repeats, an eyebrow raised. “Who’s the other one for?”

“For my side bitch,” Yeonjun says with a small smirk. “Sorry, my love, but I’ve been cheating on you.”

“You guys are cute, but we need to speed the line up,” Jihyo steps in.

Soobin nods, and he hands Yeonjun the two tickets. “For real, Yeonjun. And that’ll be twenty dollars.”

Yeonjun hands Soobin a twenty-dollar bill, and he places it in the cash register he and Jihyo have on their table. “The other ticket is for Kai, you dumbass.”

“You could’ve just said that,” Soobin grumbles. “But enjoy the dance, Yeonjunie.”

“Thanks, Soobinie,” he replies, smiling at Soobin. 

The younger rolls his eyes, and Yeonjun walks away from the line. He heads toward the cafeteria to go sit with his friends. Although he’s kind of hungry, Yeonjun doesn’t feel like eating, since the cafeteria food is kinda crusty. 

“Hi, everyone,” he greets, sitting down next to Beomgyu.

“Hey,” he returns. “You’re not going to each lunch, hyung?”

“No,” Yeonjun sighs.

“Why not?” Taehyun asks. “It’s not good for you, hyung.”

“I know, but the food here is crusty,” Yeonjun says. “I’ll just eat later.”

“Here,” Hueningkai says, handing Yeonjun a pack of gummies. “Eat these.”

Yeonjun gasps, grabbing the bag. “Thank  _ you _ , Kai. These gummies look yummy.”

“Did you buy your tickets, hyung?” Beomgyu asks, noticing the line outside the cafeteria.

“Yeah,” Yeonjun says. He gets one out from his pocket, handing it to Hueningkai. “Here, Kai. I bought your ticket.”

“Thanks, hyung,” he says, grabbing it.

“Have you asked anyone out yet, Kai?” Yeonjun questions.

“No,” Hueningkai replies, rolling his eyes. “I’m planning on just going with you guys.”

“Aw, Kai, you’re so sweet,” Beomgyu coos, pinching Hueningkai’s cheek.

Taehyun giggles. “What about you, hyung? Has Soobin-hyung asked you out yet?”

“No,” Yeonjun grumbles. “I thought buying tickets would’ve been a good sign for him to, but he just made fun of me for buying the tickets when I’m still grounded.”

Beomgyu laughs, making Yeonjun smack his arm. “Are you even sure Rosé-noona will let you go? You know she’s pretty strict about punishments.”

“That sounds kinky,” Taehyun mutters.

“You’re nasty, Tae,” Kai says, scrunching up his nose in disgust.

“I’m sure she’ll let me go,” Yeonjun says. “I have a plan.”

“And they always go wrong,” Beomgyu says. 

“Don’t listen to Beom, hyung,” Taehyun says with a small smile. “I have trust in you.”

Yeonjun smiles, and he hands Taehyun a gummy. Taehyun giggles, grabbing it.

“See, I knew I could count on you, Tae,” Yeonjun says. “Unlike  _ some people _ , Tae is actually supportive.”

“Please, he just said it, so you could give him a gummy,” Hueningkai scoffs.

Yeonjun gasps in fake shock. “You  _ lied  _ to me, Taehyun?”

“Oopsies?”

“Rude,” Yeonjun huffs.

Beomgyu chuckles. “Good luck, anyway, hyung. You’re going to need it.”

“If noona somehow lets you go, are you going to ask Soobin-hyung out to the dance?” Taehyun asks. 

“Yeah,” Kai agrees. “You said if he didn’t ask you out before today,  _ you  _ would ask him out.”

Yeonjun groans. “Do I have to? I mean, we’re a couple. Shouldn’t it be obvious he’s my date to the dance?”

“Almost every girl and some boys in this school have a crush on Soobin-hyung,” Beomgyu reminds. “They obviously see that neither of you has asked each other out to the dance, so they’re going to do it.”

Yeonjun shrugs. “So? Soobin will say no.”

“Who says he will?” Taehyun says pointedly.

“Fine,” Yeonjun says in defeat. “I’ll do it tonight. But only if Rosé-noona lets me go to the dance.”

Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai look at each other, before they nod. “Fine with us.”

* * *

Later that day, Yeonjun is home. Fortunately (or not), Rosé is here as well, working on some paperwork she has to fill out for her teaching job. She and Yeonjun are both sitting at the kitchen table—Rosé doing her work stuff, whilst Yeonjun works on his homework. 

(who even assigns homework these days?)

Rosé looks pretty concentrated, so Yeonjun doesn’t want to disturb her. He even has his earphones on, so his music won’t disturb Rosé. But he knows, sooner or later, he’s going to have to ask her if he can go to the dance. It’s not that he’s scared to ask her—he’s just nervous. Beomgyu was right when he said Rosé is pretty strict about punishments. And what Yeonjun did almost three weeks ago, Rosé won’t let it go too easily.

_ It’s now or never, Yeonjun. _

The blue-haired male takes a deep breath. Yeonjun opens his mouth to call out for Rosé’s name, but nothing comes out. He quickly closes it, and returns to his homework.

_ Maybe after I finish my physics homework. _

Unfortunately (for yeonjun), it doesn’t take him that long to finish his homework for Rosé’s class. He doesn’t have any other homework left, so he sighs, slumping in his chair. He glances at Rosé, seeing that she’s still typing things on her MacBook. 

_ Just do it, Yeonjun. Stop being a coward. _

Taking a deep breath, Yeonjun looks at Rosé. “U-um…noona?”

The strawberry blonde looks up, raising an eyebrow at Yeonjun. “Yes?”

“U-um…” Yeonjun fumbles over his words, making Rosé sigh.

“Just spit it out, Jun.”

“A-am I still grounded?” he asks instead.

“You know you are,” Rosé says sternly. “Why?”

“U-um…” Yeonjun fiddles with his thumbs. “I-I was wondering if…I could go to the dance tomorrow…”

“As I said, you’re still grounded,” Rosé says. “I’m sorry, Yeonjun, but the answer is no.”

“Please?” he says pleadingly. “I-I’ll do my own stuff for a month, or two if you want, I’ll cook breakfast, I’ll even make you breakfast in bed, I’ll behave good, I’ll try my best to get good grades, I have three As and two Bs, I’ll even do your chores.  _ Please _ , noona. I’ll do  _ anything _ . Just please let me go.”

“Choi Yeonjun, I said no,” Rosé says. “Your punishment will be gone by next week. If you keep insisting to go to the dance, it’ll stay for one more month. Do you want that?”

“N-no,” Yeonjun mutters.

“Then the answer’s going to be no,” Rosé continues. “Are you done with your homework?”

Sighing, Yeonjun nods.

“Good,” Rosé says. “Pick up your things, and heat up the food. We’re going to eat.”

Yeonjun nods again. He gets up, picking up his school things, placing them in his backpack. He places it by the wall, before walking toward the kitchen to heat up his and Rosé’s dinner.

_ At least I tried. _

* * *

“She said no?”

“Wow, shocker.”

“Shut up, Beomgyu,” Yeonjun grumbles. “The only reason I’m calling you guys is because I found my old iPad. That’s it.”

“Your fault for deciding to be stupid,” Kai mutters. “No one told you to go to Buk-gu without telling Rosé-noona. Look where it got you, hyung.”

For the past fifteen minutes, Yeonjun has been talking with Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai. By some miracle, he found his old iPad mini in one of his drawers whilst he was cleaning his room. Since he has an iPhone, he used its charger to use his iPad, since it was dead. Once it had enough battery, he video called Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Kai by Instagram.

“Don’t need to remind me, Kai,” Yeonjun grumbles. “I know what I did.”

“Then that means Soobin-hyung won’t be able to ask you out to the dance,” Beomgyu says, smiling at Yeonjun. “I’ll make sure to tell him, hyung.”

The oldest rolls his eyes. “You guys are literally no help.”

“Why don’t you sneak out?” Taehyun suggests. “The dance is going to start at six, and maybe you can Jisoo-noona’s number from Rosé-noona’s phone, call her, ask her if she can take Rosé-noona out on a date, and you can sneak out whilst she’s gone.”

“Kang Taehyun, you are a genius,” Yeonjun says. “Why didn’t you become my friend sooner?”

Taehyun giggles. “Ask Beomgyu-hyung why he didn’t tell me he had feelings for me sooner.”

“Yeah, Beomgyu,” Yeonjun says. “Why didn’t you?”

Beomgyu rolls his eyes. “Why did  _ you  _ always deny having feelings for Soobin-hyung? At least  _ I  _ didn’t deny it.”

“Are you guys done arguing?” Hueningkai says in a blank tone.

“Yeah we’re done,” Yeonjun grumbles.

_ “Anyway _ , then, are you sure sneaking out is a good idea, hyung?” Kai asks. “Rosé-noona is probably going to know what you did. And even if she doesn’t, if she finds out you sneaked out and disobeyed her, she’s going to whoop your ass. Or do worse.”

“Well, I’m willing to take the risk,” Yeonjun says. “So shut up, Kai. Don’t jinx it.”

“So, does that mean I don’t have to tell Soobin-hyung you’re not going to the dance?” Beomgyu frowns.

Yeonjun rolls his eyes, before they widen. “Fuck, I forgot. I still have to ask him out.”

“Um, I’m pretty sure he’s already on his way,” Hueningkai says, looking at his screen.

“W-what makes you say that?” Taehyun questions.

“He just texted me,” Kai replies, showing them his phone, since he’s calling them by his computer.

Yeonjun gets closer to the screen to see Hueningkai’s phone. Once he’s close enough, Yeonjun can see that Soobin texted Kai: ‘hey i’m omw to yeonjun hyung’s house’ before ‘you better not tell him anything kamal.’

“Dumbass, he told you not to tell me anything,” Yeonjun grumbles. 

“Hyung, if you haven’t noticed, Soobin-hyung is coming to your house,” Beomgyu reminds. “Hell, he’s already on his way there! And he’s going to ask you out whilst you look like that?”

Yeonjun raises an eyebrow, looking down at himself. He’s dressed in the clothes he decided to wear today, not seeing anything wrong with them.

“What’s wrong with them?” he inquires.

“Your shirt has stains on them, hyung,” Taehyun says for Beomgyu. “And a bit of makeup wouldn’t hurt.”

“He’s in your block now, hyung,” Hueningkai informs, looking at his phone.

“Fuck,” Yeonjun curses, quickly getting up from his bed. He jogs toward his window, lifting the curtain. And indeed, he sees Soobin’s car. It’s far, but it’s getting nearer to his house by the second. “Fuck, I can’t let Rosé-noona see him.”

“Isn’t she in the shower?” Beomgyu asks.

“Yeah, she is,” Yeonjun mutters. “Thanks for reminding me, Beom.”

The younger shakes his head. Yeonjun ignores him, and quickly skims through his closet for a new shirt. His pants are fine enough, so he doesn’t change them. He eventually finds a pink soft satin v-neck blouse, with long sleeves. He quickly takes the one he has off, before pulling the blouse on. He quickly runs toward his makeup desk, putting on eyeliner, mascara, and a layer of red lipgloss. He brushes his hair, fixing it a bit, before he turns back to his video call with the others.

“H-how do I look?” he questions, showing them his full outfit.

“You look beautiful, hyung,” Taehyun assures. 

“He’s there,” Kai informs.

Yeonjun looks out his window, indeed seeing Soobin parking his car outside Yeonjun’s house.

“O-okay, I’ma hang up,” he tells them. “I’ll tell you guys everything later.”

Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai nod, so Yeonjun hangs up. He takes a deep breath, just in time for him to hear the doorbell ring. He walks out of his room, thankful that Rosé is still taking a shower. He walks downstairs, and heads toward the front door. Without checking through the peephole, he opens the door, smiling at Soobin.

“S-Soobin,” Yeonjun says, acting surprised, but he’s still breathless at how  _ handsome  _ the younger looks, clad in a simple white button-up and black jeans. “W-what are you doing here?”

“Hey,” he greets softly. “Are you busy?”

“N-no,” Yeonjun replies. “B-but it’d be better if we talked outside.” Soobin nods, and Yeonjun steps out of his house, closing the door behind him. “W-what are you doing here?” 

“I’m sorry for not asking earlier, but,” Soobin says, grabbing Yeonjun’s hands in his, “Yeonjun, will you go to the dance with me?”

Yeonjun smiles. Soobin doesn’t have to do a big ask for Yeonjun to say yes, and Soobin knows that, which is why he just showed up in nice clothes. Yeonjun nods eagerly, leaning slightly on his tippy toes to kiss Soobin.

“Hell yeah I’ll go with you,” Yeonjun replies, trying to hold back his excitement. “What took you so long, Choi Soobin?”

“I was pretty busy all week, and I…sort of forgot?” he admits, a bit sheepishly.

Yeonjun rolls his eyes. “Of course you did.”

Soobin chuckles, and he wraps his arms around Yeonjun’s waist. “Hey, at least I asked you now. Thanks for saying yes, by the way, kitten.”

Yeonjun smiles, and he wraps his arms around Soobin’s neck. “Why would I say no, my love?”

“True,” he mutters, before leaning down to engulf Yeonjun into a kiss. Yeonjun kisses back, humming contently into the kiss. It’s chaste and sweet, no lust behind it. He and Soobin soon pull away, smiling at each other. “Wait, did Rosé-noona let you go?”

“Y-yeah,” Yeonjun lies.

Soobin gives Yeonjun a look. “Did she really?”

Yeonjun sighs in defeat. “No. B-but it’s okay. I-I have a plan.”

“Hyung, you know your plans always fail,” Soobin sighs.

_ “Most  _ of the time they do,” Yeonjun corrects. “I’m sure it won’t this time.”

Soobin sighs again. “If you say so. Just call me tomorrow if you can’t make it.”

Yeonjun nods. “Bye, my love.”

Soobin smiles at Yeonjun. “Bye, kitten.” He soon gets back inside his car, and drives off back to his house. Yeonjun sighs, and he walks back inside his house. Surprisingly, he still hears the water going off upstairs, and remembers Rosé likes to take long showers.

Speaking of which, now’s the time for Yeonjun to put his plan into action. He looks at the stairs, making sure Rosé’s bedroom door is still closed. Rosé always leaves her phone downstairs during the day, since she’s mostly downstairs. She leaves it in the kitchen, so Yeonjun heads there, indeed seeing Rosé’s phone on the counter charging. He grabs it, and unlocks it, going to Rosé’s contacts.

_ Jisoo, Jisoo, Jisoo _ , Yeonjun recites to himself, looking for the female’s contact. He soon finds it, and presses on it. He doesn’t have time to waste, so he presses the call button, waiting for Jisoo to answer.

She does a few seconds later. “Hello?”

“H-hi, noona,” Yeonjun greets, a bit nervously.

“Yeonjun?” Jisoo sounds confused and surprised. “What are you doing on Rosé’s phone?”

“I-I don’t have mine,” Yeonjun says.

“Right,” Jisoo mutters. “Is everything okay?”

“E-everything’s fine,” Yeonjun assures. “N-noona, are you going to be busy tomorrow from six p.m. through twelve a.m.?”

“I don’t think so,” Jisoo replies. “Why?”

“I-I was wondering if you could take Rosé-noona out on a date,” Yeonjun says.

“Let me guess,” Jisoo sighs, “you want to go out, but she’s not letting you.”

“Y-yeah,” Yeonjun chuckles, a bit nervously. “So…can you?”

“Yeonjun, you’d be disobeying Rosé,” Jisoo reminds. “It’s not right.”

“Sh-she’s going to be pretty distracted with you,” Yeonjun says. “P-please, noona? Just this once?”

Jisoo sighs. If she’s going to date Rosé, and wants to have a future with her, she might as well have a good relationship with Yeonjun, whom Rosé considers her own son.

“Fine,” Jisoo gives in. 

Yeonjun sighs in relief. “Thank you, noona. I owe you one.”

“It’s…fine,” Jisoo mutters. “Just try not to do this again, okay? I don’t want to get in trouble with Rosé, either.”

Yeonjun chuckles. “Okay, noona. Thank you.”

“Yeah,” Jisoo says. “Is that all?”

“Um, yeah,” Yeonjun replies. “Thanks again, noona. See you tomorrow.”

“Bye, Yeonjun.”

The bluenette ends their call, squealing to himself. But Yeonjun’s excitement doesn’t last for long, since he hears the water turn off upstairs. He curses to himself, and quickly deletes the proof that he called Jisoo from Rosé’s phone. He places it where he found it, before walking toward the kitchen, turning the TV on. He quickly flips through the channels until he finds  _ Doc McStuffins _ . 

Five minutes later, Yeonjun hears footsteps walking down the stairs, and he looks up, seeing Rosé. He smiles at her, noticing that her strawberry blonde hair is damp, and dressed in her pajamas.

“Were you talking with someone?” she asks.

“No,” Yeonjun lies. “Why do you ask?”

“I thought I heard you talking with someone,” Rosé mutters.

“It was probably the TV, noona,” Yeonjun says. 

Rosé nods, still a bit confused. She eventually shrugs it off, before looking at what Yeonjun is watching. She chuckles, shaking her head.

“Do you want hot chocolate?” she offers, walking to the kitchen.

“Yes, please,” Yeonjun answers. 

Rosé nods. “I’m going to be upstairs in my room working. Are you going to need anything?”

“No, I’m fine, noona,” Yeonjun says with a small smile. “Thanks.”

Rosé nods again, continuing to make the hot chocolate. Yeonjun turns back to the TV, sighing in relief to himself. He just hopes his plan will work out tomorrow. 


	26. The Dance

The next morning, Rosé and Yeonjun arrive at their school at exactly seven a.m. When they walk inside, the school is practically empty, around only one or two kids in the hallway. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay with me in my classroom?” Rosé asks as they near the room.

“I’m sure, noona,” Yeonjun says. “I don’t want to be stuck in a classroom just yet.”

Rosé nods, and she and Yeonjun hug each other, before pulling away. “Be safe, okay? Don’t do anything stupid.”

Yeonjun nods this time. “I promise I won’t.”

Rosé smiles at Yeonjun, before finally walking inside her classroom. She always leaves the door open, in case one of her students needs help, or has a meeting with her. Rosé’s classroom is by the entrance of the school, and Yeonjun is planning to head to the fields to hang out with his cheer team. Speaking of the team, they haven’t had any practice lately, since none of the school’s sports teams are having a big game coming up.

(the last big game was the football team’s.)

To head toward the fields, Yeonjun needs to pass by the office. He doesn’t necessarily have to, but he promised his first-period teacher he’d drop off something for him. Yeonjun walks inside the office, smiling at the secretary. Even if he encounters his father, Yeonjun doesn’t care, because he’d just ignore him.

“Morning, Yeonjun,” the secretary greets. 

“Morning,” Yeonjun returns. He hands the secretary the paper his first-period teacher wanted him to drop off. “Um, Mr. Kim wanted me to drop this off.”

The secretary nods, unfolding the letter. She reads through it, before looking back up at Yeonjun.

“Okay, thanks, sweetie,” she says with a smile. “Is that all?”

Yeonjun nods. “Yeah. Thank you.”

“Have a good day,” the secretary bids.

Yeonjun smiles and bows at her. “You, too.” 

He turns to leave the office, and is about to push one of the doors open, before he hears a familiar voice say: “Yeonjun, wait!”

Turning around, Yeonjun’s eyes land on the principal’s assistant, a.k.a his father’s new wife, Ae-Ri.

“Ae-Ri?” Yeonjun says, confused. “You’re back?”

“Um, yeah,” Ae-Ri says, panting a bit. “Sorry. I was home sick for a few days. I’m better now.”

Yeonjun nods. “What do you want?”

“Right.” Ae-Ri clears her throat, patting down her skirt. “A-are you coming to the dance today?”

“Yeah?” Yeonjun says, raising an eyebrow at Ae-Ri. “Why?”

“Are you coming with Choi Soobin?”

“What’s it matter to you?”

“You _can’t_ come with Choi Soobin, Yeonjun,” Ae-Ri says.

Yeonjun narrows his eyes at Ae-Ri. “And why the hell not? You’re not my fucking mother.”

“I’m still your _step_ mother,” she reminds. 

“Okay, and?” Yeonjun says, crossing his arms. “You’re still not my biological mother.”

“Yeonjun, if you haven’t realized, your ‘biological mother’ doesn’t care about you,” Ae-Ri chuckles. “She never did. She only stayed because your father forced her to. But he got tired of her, so he left her. Why do you think he’s married to me?”

Yeonjun scoffs. “I don’t have to listen to you.” He moves to push the door open again, but he feels nails digging into his skin, a cold hand grabbing his elbow into a hard grip. “What the fuck, Ae-Ri? Let go of me.”

“You’re going to listen to me, Yeonjun,” she says lowly. “Unless you want poor Rosie to get hurt.”

Yeonjun scowls, pulling his arm away from Ae-Ri. He looks up to see if any of the office workers can help him, but he’s surprised to see that they’re all gone. He looks back down at Ae-Ri, seeing a smirk on her face. A smirk that Yeonjun knows too well. He feels his heart drop, and he glares at Ae-Ri.

“Y-you’re working with Soo-young, aren’t you?” he demands.

“So what if I am?” Ae-Ri says. “What are you going to do about it?”

“Leave me alone,” Yeonjun scowls. “I’ve had enough. Tell Soo-young I’ve had enough of her bullshit. Do whatever you want to us now. I’m tired of listening to your guys’ orders. Leave me alone, or I’ll call the cops.”

“And what will that do, Yeonjun?” Ae-Ri says, raising an eyebrow. “You don’t have any proof to show them.”

“The medical papers about Soobin Buk-gu,” Yeonjun says.

Ae-Ri chuckles. “Soo-young burned them. Why do you think she dressed like a nurse?”

“You-”

“Now, here’s what you’re going to do,” Ae-Ri interrupts, “you’re going to go to the dance, but you’re not going to go with Soobin. You’re going to step out of this office, call him, tell him you can’t go to the dance anymore, and hell, break up with him, too. Break his heart again.”

“Why the hell would I do all that?” Yeonjun snaps. “Soobin doesn’t deserve it.”

“Do it, or we’ll kill him first.”

Yeonjun’s blood turns cold. “You just love to kill everyone, don’t you?”

Ae-Ri shrugs. “It’s part of the job, Yeonjun. Listen to what I say, or not only with Soobin die, but dear Rosie will, too. _Their_ blood will be on _your_ hands, and the police will blame _you_. Unless…you listen to what I say, and everyone stays alive.”

Yeonjun scowls, and he can feel tears burning in his eyes already. Ae-Ri frowns, and she wipes away a tear that managed to fall from Yeonjun’s eye. He pulls away sharply, glaring at her.

“Aw, don’t cry, Yeonjun-ssi,” she coos. “Soobin-ssi has to know and hear that you never cared about him. Now go on. I’ll be right here to make sure everything goes according to plan.”

Yeonjun glares at Ae-Ri, wondering why his father ever married this cruel woman. She’s beautiful, but not on the inside. He finally pushes the door of the office open, stepping outside. The doors are made out of glass, so Ae-Ri and Yeonjun can see each other through it. 

“Go on,” she calls out, “call your dear boyfriend.”

Yeonjun’s glare deepens, but he still takes out his phone. Now that he knows Ae-Ri is working with Joy as well, he knows they won’t hesitate to kill everyone Yeonjun loves if he disobeys them. He goes to Soobin’s contact, almost letting out a sob at what he has as Soobin’s contact name: ‘my love 💜🐰’

_Please forgive me, Soobin._

Yeonjun sniffles, hesitating before he finally presses on the call button. The line starts ringing, and Yeonjun anxiously waits for Soobin to pick up.

He does a few seconds later. “Hello?”

“H-hi, Soobin,” Yeonjun greets, sniffling.

“Don’t show you’re crying!” Ae-Ri hisses.

Yeonjun glances at Ae-Ri, before clearing his throat. “U-uh, sorry, I had…a booger up my nose.”

Soobin chuckles. “Nice to know, kitten. Why’d you call?”

Yeonjun frowns, his free hand unclenching and clenching by his side. He _despises_ that he has to do this Soobin, but unless he wants his loved ones to die, he knows he has to.

“I…have to tell you something,” he starts.

“Um, okay,” Soobin says, sounding confused. “What is it, kitten?”

“P-please stop calling me kitten,” Yeonjun mutters.

“Um, okay,” Soobin says. “Is everything okay, Yeonjun?”

 _No._ “E-everything’s fine, Soobin. I just… I-I don’t think we should see each other anymore.”

“Why not?” he asks. “Did Soo-young tell you something?”

“N-no,” Yeonjun says. “I-I know you’re only dating me because Soo-young told you, but at first, I agreed to do it because I was in love with you, Soobin. But…now I’m not anymore. Hell, I don’t even know what I saw in you. Y-you’re just a waste of my time, and…I should’ve never fallen in love with you. So, I’m breaking up with you, Choi Soobin. Please never call me again. Goodbye.”

With shaky hands, Yeonjun pulls the phone away from his ear, and he hangs up. The weight on his shoulders is too heavy for him to carry, so he falls to his knees. He can’t hold back his tears anymore, so he starts sobbing. He probably just broke Soobin’s heart. Again. 

Why is the world so fucking cruel?

“Great job, Yeonjun-ssi,” Ae-Ri praises, opening the office door to near the blue-haired male. “I knew you could do it.”

Yeonjun sniffles, looking up to glare at Ae-Ri through glazed eyes. “F-fuck you.”

Ae-Ri smiles, and she crouches down in front of Yeonjun, wiping another tear away. But Yeonjun pulls away, scowling at her. 

“Trust me, Yeonjun, you’re not my taste,” she says. Ae-Ri stands up, looking down at Yeonjun with a small smirk. “See you later tonight, Yeonjun-ssi. Remember, if we see you even an _inch_ near Soobin…bye-bye, Rosie.”

“Fuck off,” Yeonjun spits.

Ae-Ri giggles. She winks at Yeonjun, before finally walking back inside the office. Yeonjun takes a shaky deep breath, getting back up. He was going to head to the fields, but he knows his cheer team will just bombard him with questions if they notice his red and puffy eyes. However, he doesn’t have anywhere else to go, and he can just tell his team he doesn’t want to talk about it.

Getting up with wobbly legs, Yeonjun walks toward the fields, trying to get rid of the proof he was crying. Of course, nothing works, so he arrives in the fields with his eyes still red and puffy. Once he does, he walks toward his team, who are fooling around with each other.

“Hey, guys, Yeonjun arrived!” Nayeon announces excitedly.

“Yeonjun!” the rest of the team squeals.

But everyone’s excited smiles falter when they notice the red and puffiness around Yeonjun’s eyes.

“Yeonjun…” Nayeon says slowly, taking a step toward him. “Are you okay?”

“Why are you crying?” Momo adds.

“I-I don’t want to talk about it,” Yeonjun mutters, giving his team the best fake smile he can muster. “J-just please distract me, everyone, before I start crying again.”

Fortunately, his team understands, and one of them is quick enough to tell Yeonjun why they were laughing so hard.

* * *

Throughout the rest of the day, Yeonjun avoids his friends. Especially Soobin. It seems as if the younger is avoiding Yeonjun as well, since he never sees him. But Yeonjun is glad. He knows if he did see Soobin, he’d break down, and that’s the last thing he wants. Especially since Soobin is too nice, he would ask Yeonjun why he’s crying, and he knows he wouldn’t be able to lie to Soobin anymore.

Meanwhile, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai have been spamming Yeonjun’s phone all day. He skipped third period, which is the only class the five have together. He has Kai for another class, so Yeonjun skipped that one, too. He knows if he even spends a second with one of his friends, it won’t be long before he breaks down.

Sadly, he knows he’s going to have to be with them tonight.

Yeonjun also skipped Rosé’s class, since she’d be able to see right through him. Yeonjun never informed Rosé he was going to skip, but she still didn’t mark him absent. She also spammed his phone, but Yeonjun never replied. Rosé sighed, making a mental note to herself to talk to Yeonjun once they got home.

Once the final bell rang, indicating the end of school, Yeonjun is quick to pack up his things. His last period is culinary, and fortunately, all they did was watch a movie, since the teacher was too lazy to teach today.

Usually, Yeonjun would say bye to his culinary teacher, since she’s his favorite—second to Rosé of course—but today, he doesn’t feel like saying anything to anyone. He walks out of his classroom, knowing he has to meet Rosé by the school gates.

“Hey,” she greets once she arrives. 

Yeonjun only looks down at the ground, but he soon feels a soft hand grabbing his chin, tilting it, so he and Rosé can lock eyes. Rosé looks into Yeonjun’s, being able to notice the red and puffiness around her cousin’s eyes. It’s barely there, but Rosé has known Yeonjun long enough to notice them.

“You ready to go?” she asks, letting go of his chin. 

Yeonjun nods, thankful Rosé knows him too well. They walk toward Rosé’s car, getting in once they arrive. Rosé knows better than to ask Yeonjun if he’s okay, so she plans on doing it another day randomly. She turns on her car, backs up from the parking spot, before shifting the gear to drive and starting to drive toward their house.

They arrive almost twenty minutes later, and Rosé parks in the driveway. She and Yeonjun grab their stuff, before getting out of Rosé’s car. She takes out her keys, unlocking the front door. She pushes it open, and steps inside first. Yeonjun steps after her, but he doesn’t say anything before heading up the stairs. It doesn’t take long for Rosé to hear Yeonjun’s bedroom door close.

Rosé shakes her head, toeing off her shoes by the door. She takes herself and her stuff to the dining room, placing her stuff down on one of the chairs around the dining table. She takes a chair out, and starts taking her stuff out, placing it over the table. She’s about to walk toward the kitchen to start making her and Yeonjun dinner, before she hears her phone start ringing. A bit confused, she takes it out from her bag, surprised to see that _Jisoo_ is calling her.

Taking a deep breath, Rosé answers the call. “H-hello?”

“Hi, Rosie,” Jisoo greets. “Are you busy right now?”

“N-no,” Rosé assures. “W-why are you calling, unnie?”

“Can’t I call my girlfriend?” Jisoo says smugly.

“I guess,” Rosé giggles. 

Jisoo giggles as well. “But on a serious note, I was just wondering if you wanted to go out on a date tonight. If you’re not busy of course.”

Rosé’s eyes widen. “T-tonight _tonight_?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t think I can, unnie,” Rosé sighs. “Yeonjun’s going to be all alone.”

“He’s already eighteen, Rosie,” Jisoo reminds. “He’ll be fine.”

“I know, but he’s been down all day,” Rosé says with a small frown. “I don’t want to leave him alone, you know?”

“Well, he’s still practically a teenager,” Jisoo says. “And teenagers like to be alone when they’re down. We’ll be back before you know it, Rosie.”

The strawberry blonde sighs. “O-okay. Just hold on. I’ma go ask if he’s going to be okay with me going out.”

“Rosé-”

The blonde doesn’t let Jisoo continue, placing her phone down on the table. Rosé walks upstairs, heading toward Yeonjun’s room. Once she arrives, she knocks on the door.

“Yeonjun?” she calls out. “Can you open the door for me, please?”

“Go away, please, noona,” she hears Yeonjun say quietly. “I-I’m not in the mood.”

“I-I just need to ask you something,” Rosé says. “Please, Jun? It’ll be quick, I promise.”

For a few seconds, Rosé thinks Yeonjun ignored her. But then he opens the door, his eyes red and puffy again, dressed in only a hoodie that seems two sizes big for him.

“W-what do you want, noona?” he asks quietly.

“I-I just wanted to tell you Jisoo asked me out on a date,” Rosé informs. “I-I wanted to know if you’d be okay with me going and staying alone.”

At the mention of Jisoo, Yeonjun remembers that he called her yesterday to ask her if she can ask Rosé out on a date, so he can sneak out to go to the dance. Yeonjun wishes he listened to Rosé, and didn’t ask Jisoo anything.

“Y-you can go, noona,” he assures. “I-I’ll be fine.”

“You sure?” Rosé asks.

Yeonjun nods. “Go. You deserve it.”

Rosé squeals, and she hugs Yeonjun. “Thanks, Jun! I’ll be back before you know it!”

The bluenette nods again. Yeonjun sees Rosé running down the stairs, probably to tell Jisoo the news. Yeonjun sighs, closing the door to his bedroom. He turns, and looks at the clock to check the time; 3:06 PM. He might as well start getting ready, since the dance is at six.

* * *

Rosé leaves for her date with Jisoo two hours and fifty-four minutes later, so she leaves at six p.m. on the dot. That leaves Yeonjun alone, and luckily enough (or not), he’s already ready. He’s dressed in a red, long-sleeved high neck drop shoulder sweater dress, a black belt tied around his waist to go with the dress. He has a black handbag hanging from his shoulder, heart-shaped earrings, and black thigh-high boots. The sleeves of the dress go past his fingertips, giving him slight sweater paws. For his makeup, he put on red bronze eyeshadow, with white glittery eyeshadow on top, black liquid eyeliner and mascara, and lastly, a layer of brown taupe lip gloss. He decided to spray some black fake hair dye on his hair to match the already blue color of his hair, curling it as well with a curling iron. He also put some glitter on it, as well as a bit of face glitter on his cheekbones. 

Now all Yeonjun has to do is wait for Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai to pick him up.

After basically ignoring the younger three all day, Yeonjun called them through his iPad mini, apologized, and asked Beomgyu if he could pick him up for the dance. Beomgyu agreed, and now Yeonjun is just waiting for the younger three to pick him up.

Five minutes later, he hears a honk outside.

Yeonjun makes sure he has all his things, before walking out of his house, seeing Beomgyu’s car parked outside his car. Beomgyu is in the driver’s seat, Taehyun in the passenger’s, and Kai in the back. Yeonjun opens the door for the backseats, getting in.

“Hi, everyone,” he greets, a bit nervously.

“Hi, hyung,” the rest return in unison.

“Damn, don’t you look nice,” Beomgyu compliments as he starts driving toward their school.

“Thanks,” Yeonjun says with a smile. “You guys look nice, too.”

“Thanks, hyung,” Taehyun says. “Do you have your ticket?”

Yeonjun’s heart drops, and he quickly rummages through his handbag to see if he forgot it. Fortunately, he didn’t, making him sigh in relief.

“No, I have it,” he says.

Hueningkai also sighs in relief. “Oh, thank god.”

Yeonjun giggles, playfully smacking Kai’s arm. Beomgyu opens his mouth to say something, but he can’t, since his phone starts ringing. Taehyun grabs it, checking the caller ID.

“It’s Soobin-hyung,” he informs, making Yeonjun’s blood turn cold.

“Answer it, please, Tyun,” Beomgyu says. The blonde nods, and he answers the call. “Hi, hyung.”

“Hi, Beom,” Soobin returns. “You guys almost here?”

“Yeah,” Beomgyu replies. “We just had to pick up Yeonjun-hyung first.”

Even though they know Soobin wasn’t going to pick up Yeonjun anymore for the dance, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai don’t know that Soobin and Yeonjun broke up.

“Oh,” Soobin says, his tone sounding a bit cold. “Okay. I’ll see you guys here.”

“M’kay,” Beomgyu says. “Is there going to be food?”

“Yes, Beom,” Soobin chuckles. “Bye.”

“Bye,” Beomgyu returns, before Taehyun hangs up.

“Hyung, did something happen between you and Soobin-hyung?” Kai asks.

“No,” Yeonjun lies. “W-why do you ask?”

Hueningkai shrugs. “No reason.”

Yeonjun nods, hoping Kai doesn’t have a guess that Soobin and Yeonjun broke up. The four arrive at their school almost fifteen minutes later, and Beomgyu parks in the parking lot. He and the other three make sure they have all their stuff, before getting out of the car.

“I really hope they have alcohol,” he mutters as they start walking, holding hands with Taehyun.

“You always do, hyung,” he giggles.

Yeonjun and Hueningkai chuckle at Beomgyu. The three soon arrive at the entrance, where two members of the student council are sitting at a table, punching holes and selling tickets. Fortunately, the two members are just Park Jihyo and Mark Tuan, making Yeonjun sigh in relief. But once he hands his ticket to Jihyo, she gives him a look, yet bids him a good time at the dance in a perky voice.

“That was weird,” Kai says, seeming to have seen the interaction between Jihyo and Yeonjun.

“What was weird, Kai?” he says, even though he already knows the answer.

“Jihyo-noona,” Hueningkai replies. “Why did she look at you like that?”

 _Because she probably knows I broke Soobin’s heart again, and she hates me for it._ “I-I don’t know, Kai. Maybe she’s on her period.”

“Maybe,” Hueningkai mumbles, before fortunately shrugging it off.

The four eventually arrive in the school’s gym, where the dance is being held. Everyone is dressed nicely, and music is filling people’s ears, as well as a bit of alcohol.

“Yes, there’s alcohol here,” Beomgyu cheers.

“Don’t get too drunk tonight, hyung,” Taehyun warns.

“No promises, Tyun.”

“Do you guys see Soobin-hyung anywhere?” Kai asks over the music.

“I don’t,” Beomgyu replies after scanning the crowd. “He’s probably doing something student council-ly.”

Taehyun giggles at Beomgyu’s response. “Let’s go find an empty table.”

“Th-there’s one where Nayeon-noona is sitting,” Yeonjun says. “You guys wanna sit over there?”

Each table has around ten seats, and there are thirty in total. Nayeon is sitting with Momo, Chou Tzuyu, Son Chaeyoung, and Yoo Jeongyeon, which makes five more seats available. Perfect for Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai. And Soobin, if he somehow decides to sit with them.

“Hi, noonas,” Yeonjun greets as they arrive at their table.

“Yeonjun!” Nayeon squeals, her eyes lighting up. “Wow, you look _amazing.”_

Yeonjun giggles. “Thanks, noona. You look beautiful, too. Is it alright if we sit here?”

“Of course,” Momo allows. “We were waiting for Dahyun, Mina, Sana, Jihyo, but they take too long.”

“Yeonjun-hyung can relate,” Kai chuckles.

Jeongyeon giggles. “Where’s Soobin?”

“He’s probably collecting and selling tickets,” Beomgyu sighs. “Are you guys hungry? I’ve been _starving_ , even before we got here.”

Momo lets out a small laugh. “Same. You want help with the food?”

“No, we’ll come with you guys,” Yeonjun says, getting up. “Beomgyu is known for always giving me the wrong food. On purpose.”

Beomgyu smiles sheepishly. “Love you, hyung.”

Yeonjun rolls his eyes. He and the rest get up, leaving their stuff on their table, so it won’t get taken by anyone else. They serve themselves food at the buffet, before returning to their table, starting to eat.

* * *

For the next three hours, the three spend it at the dance. They eat, dance, drink, and talk. Even though he called them to ask if they were there yet, the five never see Soobin. They try looking for him, but they don’t find him. They assume he left early for some reason, or changed his mind about going to the dance. 

And even though he wishes he could, Yeonjun doesn’t drink. He knows some students sneaked in alcohol, which is why Beomgyu is half-drunk right now, but Yeonjun doesn’t let himself drink. He knows he’ll do something stupid, and tonight is just about having fun with his friends. He’s slowly forgetting about everything bad: breaking up with Soobin, Joy, and Ae-Ri. 

That is until Yeonjun encounters her by the drinks.

“Wow, don’t you look nice.”

Yeonjun looks up, locking eyes with Ae-Ri. He glares at her, and turns to walk away, but she grabs his wrist.

“Don’t ignore me now, Yeonjun-ssi,” she says lowly. “We need to talk.”

“I already did everything you told me to do,” Yeonjun snaps, pulling his wrist away. “I have nothing to say to you, Ae-Ri.”

“Okay, but I do,” she says. “Thank you for completing your mission. Because of your intelligence, everyone you love is going to stay alive.”

Yeonjun narrows his eyes at Ae-Ri. “Is that all?”

“Yeah,” she replies smugly. “Oh, and lover boy just arrived. Or should I say, _ex_ -lover boy?”

“Fuck off,” Yeonjun spits. He badly wants to turn around to look at Soobin, but he needs to finish talking with Ae-Ri first.

Ae-Ri giggles. “Remember, don’t be an inch near him, Yeonjun-ssi.”

“Yeah, I know,” he scowls, taking a sip of his drink.

Ae-Ri smirks, and she finally walks away. Yeonjun sighs in relief, finally turning around. He takes a sip of his drink, but almost spits it out when his eyes land on Soobin. The younger is dressed in a nice suit, just like Beomgyu and Hueningkai, but Yeonjun thinks Soobin looks _amazing_. His raven hair is parted to the left, he has light makeup on his face, and his long legs really fit the slacks they’re in. 

Sensing eyes on him, Soobin looks up from talking with Kai, and he and Yeonjun lock eyes. Ae-Ri’s words run through his head, and Yeonjun tells himself to look away, but he can’t. Soobin looks surprised at how _beautiful_ Yeonjun looks, but knows he’d never tell him verbally. Soobin’s gaze gets cold and darkened, and he glares at Yeonjun, before turning back to Hueningkai.

Yeonjun takes a shaky deep breath, finishing the rest of his drink. He places it down on the buffet counter, his eyes quickly skimming for someone else besides Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Kai. Yeonjun’s eyes soon land on Nayeon and Jeongyeon, and he heads toward them.

“H-hi, noonas,” he greets, making her look up from talking to Jeongyeon.

“Yeonjun?” Nayeon says, confused. “I thought you were dancing with your friends.”

“I-I was, but…I got tired,” Yeonjun lies, sitting down. He notices Nayeon’s cocktail, and without asking, gulps it all down.

“Hey, I was drinking that,” she frowns.

“S-sorry,” Yeonjun apologizes. “I really needed that.”

“Is everything okay, Jun?” Jeongyeon asks.

“Y-yeah,” Yeonjun lies again, but his eyes can’t help but dart toward Soobin.

Nayeon and Jeongyeon notice, and their eyes follow Yeonjun’s. They land on a familiar raven-haired male, and Nayeon and Jeongyeon turn back toward Yeonjun.

“Is everything okay with you and Soobin?” Nayeon says. 

“You guys are dating, no?” Jeongyeon adds.

 _“Were_ dating,” Yeonjun replies with a small, sad smile. “W-we aren’t anymore.”

Nayeon sighs with a small frown, grabbing Yeonjun’s hand, and squeezing it. “Aw, I’m sorry, Jun.”

“I-it’s fine,” he whispers. Yeonjun feels tears burning in his eyes, and he lets them fall. “E-everything’s fine,” he continues sadly.

“Come on,” Jeongyeon says, helping Yeonjun get up. “Let’s go to the bathroom to clean you up.”

Ae-Ri’s words run through his head again, but Yeonjun ignores them this time, letting Jeongyeon help him up. She and Nayeon take hold of each arm, leading him toward the bathroom. Yeonjun can’t help but sob on the way there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the next few chaps will probs take around 2 or more days to write, since it'll be long, but i'll see what i can do to make the update shorter


	27. Fine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chap didn't take as long as i expected it to write 🤠 (it only took half of a day)
> 
> chap title: "fine" by taeyeon

Since the winter dance is today, Soobin wakes up at six a.m. That leaves a whole thirty minutes for him to get ready, eat breakfast, and drive to school. It only takes him around ten minutes to get ready and eat breakfast, and driving to school takes him around fifteen minutes. Even if something happens that makes Soobin take longer to arrive, he’ll be fine, since he and the rest of the student council team have until first period to get everything ready. Plus, the two extra hours after school.

Around 6:05, Soobin walks downstairs, already dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans. Usually, the rest of his family doesn’t wake up until seven a.m., so to say he’s surprised when he walks into the kitchen to see Ah-In drinking coffee whilst sitting on the kitchen island is an understatement.

“Noona?” he says, startling Ah-In.  _ “You’re  _ awake?”

His sister jumps, glaring at Soobin. “Yah, don’t scare me like that, you idiot.”

Soobin rolls his eyes, grabbing a bowl, spoon, cereal, and milk. “What are you doing awake? You’re usually the last one to wake up.”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Ah-In sighs. “And I got hungry, so here I am.”

Soobin shakes his head. “Is everyone else asleep?”

“Yes, dumbass,” Ah-In mutters.

“You don’t have to be rude about it,” Soobin grumbles.

Ah-In smiles sheepishly. She checks the time, and places her phone down on the kitchen island. Soobin sits in front of her, beginning to eat. Ah-In knows her brother woke up because of the winter dance today, and from what she knows, Soobin is going to take his dear beautiful boyfriend, Choi Yeonjun, to the dance. Ah-In tilts her head at that.

“Hey, Soobin?”

The raven-haired male looks up from his bowl, raising an eyebrow at Ah-In. “Yeah?”

“You’re dating Choi Yeonjun, right?” she says, twirling the spoon around in her cup of coffee.

“Yeah,” Soobin says, a bit confused. “Wait, how do you know? I never told you and the rest.”

“Yeonjun told me,” Ah-In lies.

Soobin raises an eyebrow. “Really? He never told me you guys went out, or have been talking.”

Ah-In shrugs. “That probably shows the type of boyfriend Yeonjun is.”

“Yeah, as if your taste in men isn’t worse than mine,” Soobin says sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

“I’m just saying, Soobin,” Ah-In says. She leans over, placing her hand on top of her brother’s, squeezing it. “I just don’t want you to end up getting hurt again. Especially everything that happened with Haley.”

Soobin pulls his hand away, frowning at Ah-In. “Can you not talk about her?”

“Why, Soobs?” she asks, tilting her head. “It’s been  _ years  _ since we last talked about her, and it’s good to let all of your feelings out.”

“I already went to therapy, so no thanks,” Soobin says. He quickly finishes his cereal, before getting up, placing it in the sink. He doesn’t glance at Ah-In again, moving to walk away, but she grabs his arm softly.

“Sooner or later, Yeonjun’s going to break up with you, Soobin,” she says, looking at him in the eye. “He told me that, you know. He told me he never loved you, and he was just using you for popularity. He’s also been…sleeping with other boys behind your back. He says it’s  _ fun _ . It’s fun to imagine how heartbroken you’d be, even though you say you’re only dating him because someone forced you guys to.”

“What the fuck, Ah-In?” Soobin snaps. “Stop it. How the hell do you know that?”

Ah-In shrugs with a small smirk. “Yeonjun told me of course. We’re like…besties.”

Soobin scoffs. “Why should I even believe you?”

“Because I’m your sister, and I want the best for you.” 

“Sure you do,” Soobin says, pulling his arm away. “Just leave me alone, Ah-In. I have to leave.”

“Fine,” she sighs, pulling away. “But just don’t come back, crying, because I warned you what type of person Yeonjun is. If he breaks your heart just like Haley did, that’s on  _ you.” _

Soobin frowns at Ah-In, feeling his heartstrings pull. He knows if he stays longer, Ah-In would just continue messing with him, so he walks upstairs to his room. He brushes his teeth, grabs his stuff, before walking back downstairs. He ignores Ah-In in the kitchen, and walks toward the door of the garage, opening it. He closes it behind him after stepping inside the garage, and heads toward his car, unlocking it. He gets in, placing his stuff on the passenger’s seat. He turns his car on, whilst putting his seatbelt on. He shifts the gear to reverse to back up from the garage, opening the door, before shifting it to drive to head toward his school.

Almost fifteen minutes later, Soobin arrives. It’s six-forty when he does, so the school’s parking lot is already a bit full with some of the teachers’ cars. Soobin gets out of his, shouldering his bag. He locks his car behind him as he walks toward the school’s entrance. He saw Jihyo’s and Mark’s car, so Soobin knows the two are already here.

Soobin walks toward the student council’s meeting room, pulling the door open. And indeed, once he looks up, he sees Jihyo, Mark, and a new member of their team, Mina Myoi, talking and laughing amongst themselves.

“Morning, guys,” Soobin greets, making his presence known.

Jihyo looks up, smiling at Soobin. “Hi, Soobin! Have you eaten yet?”

“Yeah,” he replies. “Have you guys?”

Mark and Mina nod.

“What do you have in plan for us, Mr. President?” he asks.

“Let’s just wait until enough people arrive,” Soobin says. “Then we’ll start.”

The other three nod, and the four spend the next ten minutes organizing a few things, talking and laughing. Other members show up, and when enough members are here, Soobin begins. He assigns everyone a mission, and since everyone’s includes doing something in the school’s gym—where the dance is being held—or in the fields, Soobin ends up being alone in the meeting room. 

He’s cleaning the whiteboard, humming a small tune to himself, when he suddenly hears his phone start ringing. Soobin jumps, a bit startled. He laughs at himself, taking his phone out from his pocket. He checks to see who's calling him, and is surprised that Yeonjun is.

Soobin answers the call. “Hello?”

“H-hi, Soobin,” Yeonjun greets, and to Soobin’s surprise, he hears Yeonjun sniffle. Soobin hears a voice in the background, but he can’t hear it that well, so he shrugs it off. Yeonjun then clears his throat.  “U-uh, sorry, I had…a booger up my nose.”

Soobin chuckles, finding Yeonjun amusing. “Nice to know, kitten. Why’d you call?”

Yeonjun is quiet for a few seconds, before he says, “I…have to tell you something.”

“Um, okay,” Soobin says, growing confused. “What is it, kitten?”

“P-please stop calling me kitten,” Yeonjun mutters, making Soobin’s eyes widen slightly.

“Um, okay,” he says. “Is everything okay, Yeonjun?”

“E-everything’s fine, Soobin,” he replies, but by his tone, the ravenette can tell Yeonjun is lying. “I just… I-I don’t think we should see each other anymore.”

Soobin feels his heart slightly drop, to his surprise. “Why not? Did Soo-young tell you something?”

“N-no,” Yeonjun says. “I-I know we’re only dating each other because Soo-young told us to, but at first, I agreed to do it because I was in love with you, Soobin. But…now I’m not anymore. Hell, I don’t even know what I saw in you. Y-you’re just a waste of my time, and…I should’ve never fallen in love with you. So, I’m breaking up with you, Choi Soobin. Please never call me again. Goodbye.”

Without even letting Soobin reply, Yeonjun ends their call. Soobin then just stands there. Did Yeonjun just break up with him? Randomly? Did Joy even allow him? Yeonjun might’ve sounded sad in the beginning, but during his ‘sentimental’ speech, he sounded mad, and as if he meant every word he said. 

So that means…Ah-In was right. Yeonjun never cared about Soobin. He probably just dated the younger because Joy told him to, and to gain popularity. But Yeonjun isn’t the only one at fault here—Soobin is as well. It’s  _ his  _ fault for falling in love with Yeonjun. Even after the older betted and used him, Soobin still managed to fall deeper in love with Yeonjun. Every kiss, hug, touch Soobin gave the blue-haired male, he meant it. He thought Yeonjun was in love with him, too, but he never was. It was all just Soobin’s imagination. His fault for being stupid, and thinking Yeonjun would fall in love with someone like him.

Soobin’s phone drops from his hands, falling to the floor with a thump. He doesn’t even glance down to check if it got cracked. He just stands there, his fists clenching by his sides. His nails dig so hard into the skin of his palms that they start bleeding. But to Soobin’s dismay, he feels  _ tears  _ rolling down his face.  _ Fucking tears _ . No matter how much Soobin tries to wipe them away, they keep on coming, and it isn’t long before he starts sobbing. Out of anger, he punches a hole into the wall, telling himself to care about it later.

“Hey, Mr. President, we-” 

Soobin recognizes the voice to belong to Jihyo’s, but he doesn’t turn around to look her in the eye. Jihyo observes the scene in front of her: Soobin’s phone on the ground, blood dripping from his hands to the floor, a hole in the wall, and a muffled sob coming from Soobin. Jihyo doesn’t need to be told that Soobin isn’t okay.

“Come here,” she says, walking toward Soobin.

The younger lets himself be engulfed in a hug by Jihyo, gripping the fabric of her shirt. Even though he’s almost a foot taller than Jihyo, Soobin hides his face in the crook of her neck, wetting the skin with tears. But Jihyo doesn’t mind; she lets Soobin cry, sob, and wail into her shirt, patting his back comfortingly. Soobin shakes against Jihyo, and he curses himself for the nth time for letting himself fall in love again.

Isn’t getting hurt one time enough?

Finally, after what seems like hours, Soobin’s sobs and wails quieten down into sniffles. He and Jihyo still have their arms around each other, but Soobin slowly pulls away, and Jihyo looks at him in concern.

“You feeling better, Soobin?” she asks softly.

“N-not really,” Soobin admits. “I-I’ve been better.”

Jihyo nods, wiping a tear that fell from Soobin’s eye away. “I-if you don’t mind me asking, what happened?”

“Y-Yeonjun-hyung…” Soobin can’t finish the rest of his sentence, holding back a sob as his eyes fill with tears again.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Jihyo says, wiping under his eyes. “No more crying, okay? Well, try not to, Soobin. Tears are as if your face is peeing, and that’s kinda nasty.”

Soobin lets out a small chuckle. “Y-you’re right, noona.”

Jihyo nods, remembering that Soobin mentioned Yeonjun. “Do you want me to beat _him_ up? Even though I might be smaller than  _ him _ , I can still take _him_ down in two seconds. Make _him_ pass out in five.”

“Thanks, but no, noona,” Soobin replies. “I-it’s my fault for being an idiot, and falling in love with him. I-it’s whatever, you know? I-I’ll get over it.”

But Jihyo knows Soobin won’t. She’s seen the look in his eyes whenever Soobin looks at Yeonjun, so she knows Soobin was and still is deeply in love with the bluenette. Jihyo just wonders why Yeonjun decided to suddenly be a dick, and break up with Soobin and break his heart as well.

“Here,” she says, rummaging through her bag until she finds what she’s looking for. Jihyo hands it to Soobin. “Use this to cover up the red and puffiness around your eyes.”

The younger one lets out a small smile, grabbing it. “Th-thanks, noona.”

Jihyo nods. “Go. I’ll be here if anyone else shows up. And I’m taking you to the nurse, Soobin, so she can fix those knuckles. And if anyone asks what’s up with the wall, let’s just blame it on the raccoons.”

Soobin lets out a weak laugh and he nods, glad to have a friend like Jihyo. He walks out of the meeting room to head toward the bathroom, a bit relieved now that he now doesn’t have to waste gas money to pick up Yeonjun.

* * *

After school ends, Soobin doesn’t bother staying after school. The school’s gym is ready, especially after the two hours the student council spent on it in the morning. Besides, Soobin is going to come an hour early to make sure nothing is wrong, or someone tampered with something.

As he parks in the garage of his house, Soobin hopes Ah-In isn’t home. She knows how to spot when someone has been crying, even if it’s been  _ hours  _ since they did. She’d obviously see right through Soobin, and would tease him, mocking ‘I told you so’ to him every five seconds. And Soobin doesn’t want to deal with her bullshit right now.

Soobin opens the door of the garage, stepping inside his house. He closes the door behind him, relieved to see that no one is home. Like always, his parents are off working, his brother is probably with his friends, and Ah-In is probably with her boyfriend. 

Soobin walks upstairs to his bedroom, closing the door behind him. He places his backpack down, and immediately starts getting ready for the dance. It doesn’t start for another three hours, but Soobin only has two to get ready, and he’d rather get ready right now than later, when he’d only have a few minutes left. He heads into the shower, closing the bathroom door behind him. He takes a nice twenty-minute shower, before getting out.

Soobin only has a towel wrapped around his waist as he walks out of the bathroom, his raven hair still wet, and droplets of water rolling down his toned chest. He already has his suit picked out, since he went to go pick it up yesterday. He dries himself properly, before he starts putting on his suit. He has a bit of trouble putting on his tie, but he manages after five minutes. After his suit is on, Soobin starts on his hair, applying a handful of gel in it, before parting it to the left, so his forehead can show. After his hair is done, he applies a bit of makeup, before deciding he’s ready.

Not even five minutes later, Soobin is in his car already, the stuff he needs on the passenger’s seat. He’s already driving toward his school, and glancing at the clock, he’s going to arrive an hour and a half before the dance starts.

(of course, he left after making sure everything is fine in his house, and closing and locking the door behind him.)

When Soobin arrives at his school, he parks in the parking lot. He gets out, grabbing his stuff. He locks his car behind him as he walks toward the entrance. To get to the student council’s meeting room, or the gym, he has to pass by the office. He isn’t looking where he’s going, since he’s scrolling through his phone to find Jihyo’s contact, but it isn’t long before he bumps into someone.

“Oh, sorry,” he apologizes, looking up. 

“I-it’s fine,” the female he bumped into replies. Looking up, Soobin recognizes her to be the principal’s assistant, a.k.a Choi Ae-Ri, who's also known to be Yeonjun’s stepmother. Ae-Ri looks up, seeming surprised that  _ Choi Soobin  _ bumped into her. “O-oh, it’s you.”

Soobin smiles apologetically. “S-sorry again, Mrs. Choi.”

“I-it’s fine, Soobin,” she assures. “I’m very sorry, by the way.”

Soobin raises an eyebrow at Ae-Ri. “You’re sorry about what, Mrs. Choi?”

“Never mind,” she says with a sweet [fake] smile. “Run along now. You have a dance to get ready, no?”

Soobin nods, and he bows to Ae-Ri. “Sorry again, Mrs. Choi. See you at the dance.”

“Bye, Soobin.”

The ravenette smiles at Ae-Ri, before walking toward the meeting room. Once he sees that no one is there, he heads toward the gym, seeing Jihyo and a few other members already there.

“Don’t you guys look nice,” he says as he steps inside the gym.

“Hey, Soobin,” Jihyo greets with a smile. “You look nice, too.”

“Thanks, noona,” Soobin says. “Is everything ready for the dance?”

“I just call notified that the DJ is going to be a bit late,” Mark says, looking up from his phone.

“Yugyeom-hyung, can you handle the music until the DJ arrives?” Soobin asks.

Yugyeom nods. “Of course.”

“Thanks,” Soobin says. He places the stuff he’s carrying down on the DJ table, letting his eyes scan the gym. Tables are set up with their chairs, the food buffet is set up already looking delicious, banners and decorations have already been hung, and by the entrance of the gym is a banner to welcome the students. “Wow, you guys did a great job.”

_ “We  _ did a great job,” Jihyo corrects. “You were the one that managed everything, Soobin.”

“Your brain is fascinating,” Mark says. “I wish I had your brain.”

Soobin chuckles. “Thanks. If you guys haven’t eaten, you can eat from the buffet. There’s plenty more food for the students.”

“Am I glad to hear you say that,” Jihyo mutters, practically sprinting toward the buffet, making Soobin shake his head playfully at her. 

For the next two hours, Soobin and the rest of his team spend it making sure everything is ready for the dance. When the clock strikes 5:55 PM, Jihyo, Mark, Mina, and Choi Jongho, another member, head outside to start getting ready for people to come. For the people that already have their tickets, or come to buy them, the four are going to punch holes in them before returning them, so security can know they already have tickets, and didn't sneak in. 

At six-fifteen, the school’s gym starts filling up. Yugyeom is handling the music, whilst more and more students arrive. Soobin stands by the table near the DJ, scanning the room for his friends every minute to see if they’ve arrived. Getting impatient, Soobin decides to call them instead. Being first on the list, he dials Beomgyu’s number, waiting for him to pick up.

He does a few seconds later. “Hi, hyung.”

“Hi, Beom,” Soobin returns. “You guys almost here?”

“Yeah,” Beomgyu replies. “We just had to pick up Yeonjun-hyung first.”

At the mention of Yeonjun’s name, Soobin freezes. But it soon turns into anger, and he nods to himself, looking down at his feet. He knows Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai don’t know Soobin and Yeonjun broke up, so that’s why Beomgyu didn’t hesitate before saying Yeonjun’s name.

“Oh,” Soobin says, sounding a bit cold. “Okay. I’ll see you guys here.”

“M’kay,” Beomgyu says. “Is there going to be food?”

Soobin chuckles. Of course, Beomgyu would be thinking about food. “Yes, Beom. Bye.”

“Bye,” he says, before hanging up.

Soobin shakes his head at Beomgyu, staring down at the screen of his phone. Beomgyu’s words run through his mind, and Soobin remembers Beomgyu said they picked up Yeonjun, which means the bluenette is with them. Of course, Soobin doesn’t have a problem with that, but he just doesn’t want to see Yeonjun for now. Or until years after they graduate, at least.

Fortunately, Soobin hears footsteps approaching him, making him look up. He’s surprised to see Mina.

“Oh, hi, noona,” he greets with a small smile.

“Hi,” Mina greets back. “Um, you’re not busy right now, are you?”

“No,” Soobin says. “Why?”

“I need your help,” Mina says. “The hole puncher Jongho-hyung and I use isn’t working, and we don’t know where the other one is.”

“There should be more in the meeting room,” Soobin muses. “What if you stay here, and I’ll take your place? I’m not enjoying myself much here.”

“You sure?” Mina asks.

Soobin nods. “Yeah. You deserve the break.”

Mina smiles, and she surprises Soobin by hugging him. He doesn’t have the chance to hug her back before she pulls away.

“Thanks, Soobin,” she says. “You’re the best.”

Soobin nods, smiling at her. Mina smiles back, before she walks away. Soobin guesses she’s going to be with her friends, but is surprised when she skips out of the gym. Soobin shrugs, sighing as he gets up to head toward the meeting room. He rummages through the file cabinets they have, before grabbing two hole punchers.

Whilst Jihyo and Mark are in charge of the front, Mina and Jongho were in charge of the back, so that’s where Soobin heads. Once he arrives, Jongho seems a bit surprised to see him, but smiles at him.

“Hi, Jongho,” he greets, sitting down next to him.

“Hi,” he returns. “Where did Mina-noona go?”

“To the bathroom, I think,” Soobin mutters. He hands the extra hole puncher to Jongho. “Here. Mina told me your guys’ broke.”

“Yeah,” he agrees, grabbing it. “Thanks.”

Soobin nods, before he and Jongho turn back to the students who are arriving.

* * *

Almost three hours later, Soobin and Jongho finally finish. Turns out, almost the whole school showed up at the dance. 

“Oh, I’m so glad we’re done,” Jongho says in relief, cracking his knuckles. “My poor hands are tired.”

Soobin chuckles. “I’m sure there’s some ice for them in the gym.”

“Do we have to clean up?” Jongho asks as they get up. 

“Just the register,” Soobin assures. “We can set the table and chairs against the wall.”

Jongho nods, and that’s what they do. He places the two chairs against the wall after folding them, and helps Soobin with the table. They walk toward the gym, before they separate ways. Soobin finally takes out his phone, surprised to see tons of messages from Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Kai, most of them asking where the hell is he. Looking up, Soobin luckily notices Taehyun’s blonde hair, and heads toward him.

“Hi, Tae,” Soobin says, making the younger one slightly jump.

“Oh, god, you scared me, hyung,” he mutters.

“Sorry,” Soobin says apologetically. “Where’s Beom and Hyuka?”

“They went to get food,” Taehyun replies, motioning toward the buffet.

Soobin looks toward it, indeed seeing Beomgyu and Hueningkai filling their plates with food. Soobin shakes his head, turning back to Taehyun, noticing he’s dressed in a red silk blouse french tucked into black skinny jeans, and ankle boots on his feet.

“You look nice,” Soobin compliments. 

“Thanks,” Taehyun says. “You look nice, too.”

Soobin and Taehyun continue talking with each other until Beomgyu and Kai finally join them. Their mouths are a bit dirty, but they only ate a bit of their food.

“Hyung!” Beomgyu squeals. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Sorry,” Soobin says. “I was with Jongho taking care of the tickets.”

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Hueningkai asks.

“I…um, forgot?”

Beomgyu rolls his eyes. “Next time, I’m going to punch you if you make us wait that long again.”

Soobin chuckles. “I’d like to see you try, Beom.”

“Hey, even though Beom is shorter than us, he’s still pretty strong,” Kai says. “Earlier, he punched my arm, and it still hurts.”

“Poor baby,” Soobin says teasingly.

Hueningkai rolls his eyes at Soobin, and the oldest laughs, looking away from him. Soobin senses eyes on him, so he looks up, locking eyes with Yeonjun, much to his dismay. But his eyes widen when he sees what Yeonjun is wearing, and how he looks overall. If they were still dating, Soobin would kiss the life out of him. However, Soobin remembers what Yeonjun did to him earlier, and his gaze toward Yeonjun turns cold and darkens, glaring at him, before turning back to Kai.

“Hey, where’s your date, Hyuka?” Soobin says, raising an eyebrow. “I don’t see them anywhere.”

Hueningkai rolls his eyes. “My  _ dates  _ are at home, and on my bed, thank you very much.”

“Damn, Hyuka, take them out to dinner first,” Soobin mutters.

Kai laughs, smacking Soobin’s arm playfully. 

“Ooh, hyung, do you want a drink?” Beomgyu offers. “San-hyung snuck some in.”

“N-” Soobin stops himself before he can say no. For tonight, he just wants to forget about everything, and focus on having fun. “Hell yeah, I do.”

* * *

“You guys  _ broke up _ ?”

Yeonjun sniffles, nodding as he looks down at the crumpled tissue in his hands. “I-I broke up with him today.”

“Why, hyung?” Taehyun frowns.

“Yeah, I thought you guys loved each other,” Hueningkai adds, sitting down next to Yeonjun.

Noticing Nayeon, Jeongyeon, and Yeonjun walking out of the dance, Taehyun and Kai followed behind them. Together, Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Taehyun, and Hueningkai tried to comfort Yeonjun, but didn’t ask him what’s wrong until he was ready to tell them. After he stopped sobbing, he hesitantly did, surprising the other four.

“W-we did, but I realized weren’t perfect for each other,” he partially lies. Yeonjun is lying, but not about the part where he and Soobin loved each other. Well, he  _ hoped  _ Soobin loved him, too. “I-I’m sorry, you guys.”

“About what, Jun?” Nayeon asks.

“Being a disappointment,” Yeonjun mutters, looking down at his lap. “Y-you all shipped Soobin and I, and here I am, telling you guys we just broke up.”

“Jun, we understand if you and Soobin broke up,” Jeongyeon says. “Sure, we shipped you guys, but if you guys don’t want to be together, then you don’t have to. We’re fine with anything you guys decide. Besides, your guys’ personal life isn’t our business.”

Yeonjun nods, feeling tears well up in his eyes again. “Thanks, noona.”

“Do you want to go back to the dance, hyung?” Taehyun questions. “If you do, we have to fix your makeup first.”

Yeonjun chuckles, shaking his head as he sniffles. “N-no. I-it won’t be long before Rosé-noona returns, anyway.”

Kai nods. “I’ll take you home. Tae, noonas, you guys wanna come with?”

“Up to Yeonjun,” Nayeon replies.

“I-I just wanna go with Kai,” Yeonjun says, giving the other three a small smile. “I-I’ll see you guys next month.”

The other three nod, before they walk out of the bathroom. Hueningkai helps Yeonjun get up, and with their arms linked, he leads Yeonjun toward his car. They both get inside after Kai unlocks it, putting their seatbelts on. Hueningkai starts driving toward Yeonjun’s house, and they spend the ride in silence. Yeonjun doesn’t feel like saying anything, and Kai knows, so he doesn’t say anything, either, only squeezing Yeonjun’s hand here and there.

They arrive at Yeonjun’s house almost fifteen minutes later. Fortunately, none of the lights are on, so Yeonjun knows Rosé isn’t home. He sighs, unbuckling himself, whilst grabbing his bag.

“Th-thanks for the ride, Kai,” he says, engulfing him in a hug. 

“Of course, hyung,” he says softly as they pull away. “Do you want me to stay?”

“Th-thanks, but I want to be alone,” Yeonjun says with a small smile.

Hueningkai nods. “Call us if you need anything.”

“I-I will,” Yeonjun says, before he gets out. He smiles at Kai, before closing the door behind him. He walks up to his front porch, taking out his keys. He unlocks the front door, and once he’s inside his house safely, he hears Hueningkai drive away. Yeonjun sighs, leaning back against the door. He feels like crying again, but decides to change out of his dress into Soobin’s hoodie before doing so.

* * *

At the sudden noise of something  _ extremely loud _ beeping, Soobin is woken up. His head starts pounding  _ horribly _ , and he lets out a groan, clutching it. It takes him a while, but he realizes the bed he’s in isn’t his. Hell, the  _ room  _ he’s in isn’t his. He doesn’t even recognize the place. Looking around, Soobin notices he’s in a  _ girl’s  _ bedroom, and he hopes that doesn’t mean-

“H-hey.”

Looking up, Soobin’s heart drops when he sees Mina. But she herself isn’t what made Soobin’s heart drop. The fact that she’s wearing  _ Soobin’s  _ shirt did, since it means she and Soobin, in fact,  _ did  _ have sex last night.

“N-noona?” he says, confused. “W-what am I doing here?”

“You don’t remember last night?” Mina asks, surprised.

“I-I remember going to the dance,” Soobin mutters. 

“Well, Soobinie,” Mina giggles, climbing onto Soobin’s lap, and straddling him,  _ “we  _ had some fun last night.” She has a smug look on her face, trailing her index finger up Soobin’s naked chest.

“W-we had sex?”

Mina nods, looking Soobin in the eye. “And it was  _ amazing _ . I didn’t know you were so good.”

“Th-that’s not right,” he says, sitting up, and almost pushing Mina off of him. “W-we  _ couldn’t  _ have had sex last night. I-I’d be cheating-”

“No you wouldn’t,” she interrupts. “You and Yeonjun broke up, remember?”

That makes Soobin stop, his blood turning cold. “Oh.”

“Yeah,” Mina says. “You hungry? That annoying beeping sound was the microwave.”

“Thanks, noona, but I need to go home,” Soobin says. “And if you wouldn’t mind giving me back my shirt…”

“Of course not,” Mina says. 

Soobin nods. He expects Mina to take his shirt off later, but she takes it off right in front of him instead. Soobin’s eyes widen, and he quickly looks away, before he can see what Mina is wearing underneath. 

“You don’t need to look away,” she giggles. “I’m your girlfriend, after all.”

_ “G-girlfriend?” _

“Yeah,” Mina says, climbing off Soobin to put on some clothes. “You asked me to be your girlfriend last night, and I agreed.”

_ “I  _ asked you?”

“Yeah,” Mina says, looking at Soobin. “Do you not remember  _ anything _ ?”

“No,” he mutters, wondering what the hell happened last night. Did he drink too much?

“Come on, I’ll explain everything during breakfast,” Mina says. 

Soobin finally looks up at Mina, relieved to see that she’s dressed. Mina smiles at him, before walking out of the room. Probably to give Soobin some privacy to change. He sighs, getting up from the bed. His head is still pounding, but not as bad as before. He changes back into his clothes, before walking out of what seems to be Mina’s room, walking toward where he guesses is the kitchen. Once he arrives, he’s surprised to see that Mina served him ramen. Simple, but delicious.

“Thanks for the food,” Soobin says, sitting down.

Mina nods, sitting across from Soobin. “So, do you want me to explain?”

The younger nods eagerly. “Yes, please.”

Mina nods again, before she starts. She explains how after drinking a bit too much, and practically finishing the five bottles San brought by himself, Mina and Beomgyu had to pull Soobin away, so he wouldn’t continue drinking. But eventually, Beomgyu had to leave, since Taehyun needed his help, which left Soobin and Mina alone. She says Soobin made a move on her, and since she’s had a ‘crush’ on him ever since ninth grade, she kissed him back. Since they were both a bit drunk, their kiss got heated, and they almost had sex in the gym. But Soobin was sober enough to drive them to Mina’s house, and that’s where the fun began. After they had finished, Soobin looked at Mina, and asked her if she wanted to be his girlfriend. Ecstatic, Mina said yes.

“-and that’s all that happened,” she finishes. “Crazy, huh?”

“That  _ all  _ happened?” Soobin asks, not sure if he should believe it or not.

“Yeah,” Mina replies. 

“Wow,” Soobin mumbles. “Look, I’m sorry, noona, but…I don’t think we should be a couple. I-I know I asked you to be my girlfriend, but that was the alcohol talking. I-I just broke up with…Yeonjun, so I don’t want a relationship right now.”

Unbeknownst to Soobin, Mina sighs in relief. “Are you sure? We could make a great couple.”

“I-I’m flattered, noona, but I’m sure,” he says. “I-I’m sorry if I got your hopes up.”

“It’s fine, Soobin,” Mina assures. “There’s plenty of other fish in the sea. Do you want me to drop you home?”

Soobin nods. “Yes, please.”

Mina nods this time, smiling at Soobin. The two eat their breakfast together, talking whilst they eat. They have a friendly conversation, and if Mina didn’t tell him and if he didn’t wake up on her bed, Soobin would’ve  _ never  _ believed that he and Mina had sex. Sure, he woke up on her bed, but Soobin doesn’t see a sign that they had some ‘lovely’ time. He doesn’t even see  _ one  _ hickey on Mina, and Soobin knows he likes to leave marks on the people he sleeps with. Plus, Mina’s hair doesn’t look ruffled. If she brushed it, it would’ve been a bit poofy, but it isn’t. If she straightened it, she couldn’t, since she doesn’t have a straightener, or anything to straighten her hair with. 

So was Mina lying to him about the two of them having sex?

“Are you done with your food?” she asks, breaking Soobin out of his thoughts.

“Uh, yeah,” he replies, looking down at his plate. “But I’ll pick up my plate, noona.”

“No, I can do it,” Mina says. “You’re my guest.”

“Exactly, so I want to help,” Soobin says.

Mina sighs. “Fine. Do you have all your stuff?”

“It should be in your room, right?” Soobin says as he places his plate in the sink.

“Yeah,” Mina mutters. “Well, get your stuff if you want to leave, Soobin.”

The younger nods, and he walks upstairs to retrieve his things. Soobin grabs them, and he walks out of Mina’s room, walking back downstairs. Once he arrives, he can see that Mina is already ready, her keys in her hands. She’s typing something on her phone, but once she hears Soobin’s footsteps, she stops, smiling up at him.

“Ready to go?” she asks.  Soobin nods. He and Mina walk out of her house, and she closes and locks the door behind them. She leads Soobin toward her car, where they both get in, buckling themselves.  “Where do you live?” she says as he turns on her car.

“Let me put on the GPS,” Soobin mutters, taking his phone out.

Mina nods, waiting for Soobin to do so as she backs up from her driveway. He shows her the GPS, and she follows the directions. Surprisingly, the two pick up an easy conversation between them, and by the time they arrive at Soobin’s house, they’re laughing hysterically at something Mina said.

“Tzuyu-noona really did that?” he chuckles.

Mina nods. “Yup. She might seem quiet and shy, but once you get to know her…she’s crazy.”

“Yeah, Hyuka was the same,” Soobin says. He notices Mina parking outside his house, so he unbuckles himself, grabbing his stuff. “Thanks for the ride, noona.”

“Yeah,” she says. “Bye, Soobin. See you next year.”

Soobin nods, smiling at Mina’s joke, and gets out of her car. He waves at her, and Mina makes sure Soobin gets inside his house safely, before driving away. Once he’s inside, Soobin closes the door behind him, unsurprised that his house is silent. His family is probably out like always. Soobin’s headache slowly went away during the car ride from Mina’s to his house, but he still walks toward the kitchen to grab some aspirin. 

Yet, once Soobin steps foot inside the kitchen, his phone starts ringing. He groans at the loud sound, taking his phone out, and checking the caller ID, surprised to see Taehyun calling him.

Soobin answers the call. “Tae?”

“Hyung, where are you?” he questions.

“I-I’m at my house,” Soobin replies, a bit confused. “W-why?”

“Um…you might want to check your social media,” Taehyun says. “It’s a  _ mess.” _

“What?” Soobin says, growing more confused. “What are you talking about, Tae?”

“Just…check, hyung.”

Still confused, Soobin pulls his phone away from his ear. He decides to check Instagram, and is surprised that he has more than  _ seventy  _ notifications. The most popular one is people tagging him in a post, and a post that is tagging him. Curious, Soobin taps on the post, but he almost drops his phone when he realizes it’s a picture of him and  _ Mina  _ sleeping on the  _ same  _ bed, obviously naked. Someone with the right mind would know what they did.

“What the fuck?” he mutters under his breath.

Soobin scrolls down to the comments, seeing that most of them are from his football team, praising him for being able to Mina Myoi, the ‘most beautiful and smartest’ cheerleader and girl in their entire school. Soobin shakes his head rapidly. His  _ whole  _ school probably saw it, which means…Yeonjun must’ve seen it, too.

_ Who cares if he saw it? _ , Soobin finds himself thinking.  _ He broke your heart.  _ Twice _. You should be able to at least sleep with other people. He never cared, anyway. _

Soobin huffs, and even though he wants the post to still be up for Yeonjun’s sake, he presses on the three dots above the post, reporting it for sexual content. Remembering he’s still on the phone with Taehyun, Soobin returns to their call.

“Who posted this?” he asks.

“No one knows, hyung,” Taehyun replies. “But it’s trending all over the school. Hell, possibly all over the city.”

“We have to take it down before the dean of Seoul University sees it,” Soobin groans. “Fuck, I’m screwed.”

“What happened last night, hyung?” Taehyun questions.

“I-I don’t know,” Soobin admits. “I just know that I woke up in Mina Myoi’s bed this morning, and apparently, we slept together.”

“You guys  _ slept  _ together?!”

“M-Mina-noona says we did, but I don’t think so,” Soobin says. “If I had sex with her, I would know.”

“Then this is probably just a prank,” Taehyun says. “A  _ horrible  _ prank.”

“Who would post something like this?” Soobin mutters.

“Do you know anyone who hates you?” Taehyun asks, even though he knows the answer. No one in their entire school hates Choi Soobin. Who would?

“No,” he frowns. Soobin groans, his head starting to pound harder. “I-I’ma just worry about this later. I-it’s going to be gone soon, anyway.”

“Yeah, Beomgyu-hyung and Kai have someone working on it,” Taehyun assures. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay, hyung?”

“Yeah,” Soobin replies, even though he’s not that sure. “I-I just need to take some aspirin. Thanks for letting me know, Tae.”

“N-no problem, hyung,” he says. “Call us if you need anything.”

“I will. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Soobin sighs, placing his phone down. The post on Instagram is not what he needs right now. He searches through the kitchen cupboards for the aspirin, fortunately finding it soon. He takes almost the whole bottle down, accompanying it with water. He grabs his phone, and trudges upstairs, hoping a nap will help him.

* * *

It isn’t until 11:49 PM that Rosé returns home. She’s dressed in her coat, hence why it’s December, and  _ barely  _ starting to snow.

(it’s december nineteenth, where the hell is the snow?)

Rosé closes the door behind her, taking her shoes off by the door. Although it’s barely snowing in Seoul, the temperature is below fifty. She heads toward the fireplace, turning it on to start heating herself up. She knows Yeonjun doesn’t go to sleep until at least three a.m. on his days off, so she knows he’s still up.

“Yeonjun!” she calls out. “I’m back!”

To her surprise, Rosé hears Yeonjun’s bedroom door open. He soon appears, dressed in the same hoodie Rosé saw on him earlier. His eyes still hold the same sad look in them, but it’s not as visible as before. Rosé stands up from her spot crouching in front of the fire, smiling at Yeonjun. 

“H-hi, noona,” he greets.

“Hi,” Rosé returns. “Aren’t you cold? You’re not wearing any pants.”

_ Soobinie’s hoodie is enough to keep me warm.  _ “Nah, I’m not cold, noona. How was your date?”

“Amazing,” Rosé replies, letting out a small squeal. “You should’ve seen Jisoo-unnie! She was so sweet. She took me to an ice skating rink, and she taught me a bit more how to ice skate.”

Yeonjun smiles. “That’s nice, noona. Did you have fun?”

“Hell yeah I did,” Rosé says. “Anyway, how was your day? Were you okay?”

Immediately, Yeonjun remembers going to the dance, and he tenses up a bit. Luckily, once he returned home, he was quick to change out of his fancy clothes, get rid of the black hair spray in his hair, take off his makeup, and change into Soobin’s hoodie, before Rosé could get home.

“M-my day was fine,” he lies. “I-I just spent it eating ramen and watching  _ Criminal Minds.” _

“You didn’t sneak out, right?” Rosé says playfully.

“No,” Yeonjun chuckles. 

Rosé nods. “Well, on the bright side, at least your punishment is off by next week. You’d get to spend half of your break with your friends.”

Yeonjun nods this time. “Can’t wait, noona.”

Rosé smiles at Yeonjun, before she remembers something. “Fuck, I forgot Christmas is  _ next  _ week. We need to go shopping, Yeonjun.”

“Yes, we should,” he immediately agrees. Anything to get out of the house.

“We have to get presents for you, me, Jisoo-unnie, Jennie-unnie, Lisa,” Rosé muses as she walks toward the kitchen, Yeonjun following behind her, “Beomgyu, Taehyun, Kai, Soobin-”

“D-do we have to get a present for Soobin?” he asks with a small nervous smile.

Rosé stops to look at Yeonjun. “What do you mean? Don’t you want to get a present for your boyfriend?”

The bluenette can feel his heart closing itself up at that, but he swallows, giving Rosé a fake smile.

“Y-you’re right, noona,” he says. “What was I thinking?”

“You okay, Jun?” Rosé questions. “You’ve been off all day.”

“I-I’m fine,” Yeonjun lies. “So, what type of presents do you want to get everyone?”

* * *

The next morning, Yeonjun wakes up around noon. He would’ve woken up later if it weren’t for his iPad starting to ring. He groans, grabbing it from the nightstand. He opens the cover to see who's calling him, unsurprised to see that Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai are trying to make him join their Instagram video call. Yeonjun sighs, accepting the request, the younger three’s faces popping up on the screen.

“Oh, look who just got up,” Beomgyu says, chuckling at Yeonjun’s messy hair.

“What do you guys want?” he groans, rubbing his eye.

“You’re still grounded, right, hyung?” Taehyun asks.

“Yeah?” Yeonjun gives them a look. “I’ll be ungrounded next week.”

“Ha, I told you guys!” Kai snickers. “You both owe me ten bucks.”

Yeonjun rolls his eyes. “Is that all?”

“Yeah,” Beomgyu sighs. “Wait, no. There’s…something you have to see, hyung.”

“Is it something stupid?” Yeonjun deadpans.

“No, hyung,” Taehyun assures. “Just…go to Soobin-hyung’s account, and check what he’s tagged in.”

Yeonjun groans. “I don’t care what  _ he’s  _ tagged in, guys-”

“Just check, hyung,” Hueningkai interrupts.

Yeonjun sighs, rolling his eyes. He types Soobin’s Instagram user in the app’s search bar, before pressing enter. Results come up, and Yeonjun presses Soobin’s account. Yeonjun goes to Soobin’s tagged posts, noticing that there’s a new one. Confused, Yeonjun presses on it, but his eyes widen when he sees Soobin and  _ Mina Sharon Myoi  _ sharing the  _ same  _ bed. It’s obvious they’re both naked, which makes Yeonjun heart drop.

_ H-he was  _ that _ quick to move on? _

“Fuck, this isn’t what we were planning on showing you, hyung,” Beomgyu curses. “What the fuck is this?”

“Y-you guys wanted to show me this?” Yeonjun asks quietly.

“N-no, hyung,” Taehyun frowns. “The post before this one was funny, and neither of us could find it anywhere, and we found out someone had tagged Soobin in it, so we wanted to show you, but…this showed up instead.”

“We’re sorry, hyung,” Kai says. “W-we shouldn’t have called you.”

“That bastard,” Beomgyu scowls. Unfortunately (or not), he also learned that Soobin and Yeonjun broke up, since Taehyun told him. At first, Beomgyu wanted to beat up Soobin, but Taehyun told him that  _ Yeonjun  _ broke up with  _ him _ , not the other way around. Except, now that he sees how quickly Soobin was to move on—and even sleep with a  _ girl _ —Beomgyu is more than motivated to punch his teeth in. “Who the fuck does he think he is?”

“W-wait, Beom, I don’t think Soobin-hyung would agree to post this,” Taehyun says. “This was posted by an anonymous account, too. Th-this was posted without Soobin’s permission.”

“So?” Beomgyu scoffs. “I’m still beating him up for moving on too fast.”

“Just call him, hyung,” Hueningkai sighs.

“Fine,” Beomgyu grumbles. “I’ll be back.”

“I’m sorry you had to see this, hyung,” Taehyun frowns. “Do you want me to come over with snacks and a movie?”

Yeonjun nods, trying to hold back his tears. “Th-that’d be amazing, Tae.”

“I-I would come, too, but Lea’s show is tonight, and my parents aren’t letting me miss it,” Kai says. “I’m sorry, hyung. Do you want me to show Soobin-hyung a lesson?”

Yeonjun shakes his head. “I-it’s his life. H-he can do whatever he wants. B-besides,  _ I’m  _ the one who broke up with him, and probably broke his heart again, so I guess this is payback. I-it’s fine, guys. N-now we’re equal.”

“It’s  _ not  _ fine, hyung,” Taehyun says, “and you know it. Even if you ‘did’ deserve it, it isn’t right for Soobin-hyung to post this. He can lose his  _ scholarship.” _

“Well, whatever,” Yeonjun mutters. “I’m not his boyfriend anymore, so it shouldn’t matter.”

“Okay, but you’re still his friend,” Hueningkai says. “Aren’t you?”

“I don’t think we should be anymore, Kai,” Yeonjun says, his bottom lip starting to quiver. “B-but it’s fine, you know? Life goes on.”

“I’ll be right there, hyung,” Taehyun assures. “Just let me get dressed, and we’ll start making you feel better.”

Yeonjun manages to let out a small smile. “Th-thanks, Tae. U-um, I need to leave now. I…have a booger up my nose.”

Hueningkai chuckles. “Feel better soon, hyung. I’ll try to make it tomorrow.”

“And I’ll be there soon,” Taehyun adds. “Just hang on for me, hyung.”

Yeonjun nods. “B-bye, guys.”

“Bye, hyung.”

* * *

“He did  _ what?!” _

“He posted a photo that proves he slept with a girl a day after our breakup,” Yeonjun mutters, hugging his knees tighter to his chest.

It is currently 2:23 PM, and Rosé, Yeonjun, and Taehyun are all in Yeonjun’s bedroom, sitting down on his bed. Yeonjun is sitting against the wall, hugging his knees to his chest. Rosé has errands to run to today, and she should’ve left around an hour ago, but she’s still here. 

At around one-thirty, Taehyun arrived. He had a basket full of snacks, blankets, plushies, and two packs of movies when Yeonjun opened the door. When he did, Taehyun engulfed him in a hug, and Yeonjun happily hugged him back.

_ “I swear, if Beom ever breaks up with you, I’m chopping off his balls,” Yeonjun had said once he and Taehyun pulled away. _

_ “Trust me, I’ma chop his balls off, too,” he agreed, making Yeonjun giggle. _

They had walked into Yeonjun’s bedroom, and he explained everything. Hearing Taehyun’s voice, Rosé stepped into Yeonjun’s bedroom—after knocking and waiting for Yeonjun to let her in, of course—and Yeonjun had to explain everything to her as well. Now both Rosé and Taehyun are holding themselves back from beating Soobin into a pulp.

“I’ma just be back,” she says with a small chuckle. “On a totally unrelated note, where does Soobin live, Yeonjun?”

“What are you going to do, noona?” Taehyun asks.

“Chop his balls off,” Rosé replies with a sweet, deadly smile. “So, Yeonjun, where does he live?”

“Noona, sit down,” Yeonjun says. “H-he’s probably just doing this as payback. I-I broke up with him, and probably broke his heart twice. I-I’m such a bastard.”

“You know what, I’m sorry, hyung, but you both are,” Taehyun says. “Mostly Soobin-hyung, though.”

“I know,” Yeonjun sighs. “I just wish I could fix everything.”

“You still can,” Rosé says.

“How?” Yeonjun says, raising an eyebrow.  _ If I do, a psychopath named Park Soo-young is going to kill Soobin, before you, my best friends, and everyone else I love _ , is what he wants to add, but he doesn’t. “H-he probably already blocked me everywhere.”

“Well, he can’t block you in real life,” Taehyun reminds. “Unless he moves, and doesn’t tell Beom or Kai where he lives, you can still fix things, hyung.”

“I don’t want to talk to him, and neither does he,” Yeonjun frowns, sniffling. “It’s better if things stay like this.”

“You guys were  _ so  _ cute, though,” Rosé frowns as well. “You two were my favorite couple.”

“Everyone ships it, too,” Taehyun adds. 

“I know,” Yeonjun says. “I just don’t think it’s a great idea if Soobin and I get back together. Besides, he has that Mina girl now, and she’s way prettier than I ever will be.”

“No, she’s not,” Rosé immediately denies. She cups Yeonjun’s cheeks, looking him directly in the eye. “Choi Yeonjun, don’t ever talk so lowly about yourself. You’re beautiful. That girl may also be beautiful, but you’re better off with Soobin than  _ her.” _

“Maybe, but I want to spend Christmas break with you guys,” Yeonjun says. “I don’t want to worry about boyfriend drama anymore.”

“Fine,” Taehyun sighs in defeat. “But only for Christmas break.”

Yeonjun nods with a small smile. “W-we'll see.”

* * *

And just like he said, Yeonjun spends the rest of his Christmas break with his friends and Rosé. He tries not to think about a familiar, handsome raven-haired boy, but of course, he fails. Yeonjun probably thinks about him at least  _ twice  _ each hour, and more than ten times a week. He knows it isn’t healthy, but he can’t help it. Soobin is probably off with Mina, but nothing Yeonjun does makes him stop thinking about Soobin.

For Christmas, Rosé and Yeonjun indeed do buy the ravenette a gift. Even though Rosé still holds a grudge against Soobin, she still agrees to buy him something. Yeonjun probably knows Soobin better than anyone, so he knows exactly what to get him. But will he ever give it to Soobin? Probably not. The thought still counts, though.

For New Year’s, Rosé hosts a party at hers and Yeonjun’s house. Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai come, but Soobin doesn’t, which isn’t really a surprise. Once the clock strikes midnight, Jisoo and Rosé kiss each other, Beomgyu and Taehyun kiss each other, as well as the other couples that were invited. Meanwhile, Yeonjun and Kai just link arms as they drink their sparkling juice cider, enjoying the sound of the fireworks outside.

(and of course, yeonjun doesn’t think about the fact that  _ soobin  _ would be his new year’s kiss if they were still dating.)

Sadly, Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai go back to school eight days after New Year’s. But hey, at least Yeonjun can go out now, since he isn’t grounded anymore.

Speaking of which, he is currently getting ready to go to the convenience store nearby. Rosé claims they need more ramen, and the store that’s around the block sells the  _ best  _ ramen, so she’s ordering Yeonjun to go, since she’s too cold to go herself. Which is also why she’s making Yeonjun dress in  _ two  _ big puffy jackets.

(it would’ve been  _ three _ , but yeonjun luckily managed to convince her to let him wear two.)

“Do I really need to wear all this, noona?” he sighs as Rosé zips up his second puffy jacket, putting a beanie on top of his head. 

“Yes,” she replies, putting gloves on his hands. “You’ll catch a cold if you don’t, and I’m too lazy to take care of you if you do.”

Yeonjun chuckles. “You sure do deserve cousin of the year award.”

Rosé smiles. “I know.”

Yeonjun rolls his eyes, making sure he has the money Rosé gave to him. “Is ramen all you’re going to need?”

“Yeah,” she assures. “You’re going to be fine going by yourself, right?”

“Noona, I’m eighteen,” Yeonjun states. “I’ll be fine.”

“If you say so,” Rosé sighs. “Call me if you need anything.”

Yeonjun nods. “I’ll be back.”

“Be safe,” Rosé warns.

“I will,” Yeonjun promises, before he opens the door. Cold freezing air hits his face, and he shivers, stepping outside of his house. Fortunately, he was able to convince Rosé to let him wear his combat boots, instead of the big fluffy ones Rosé was going to make him wear.

Yeonjun starts walking, and even though the temperature is below fifty, there’s barely any snow crunching under his feet. The most snow they’ve gotten is five centimeters, which is a surprise to everyone, but it’s not like they can tell Mother Nature to give them more snow. And speaking of which, Yeonjun would use Rosé’s car to drive toward the store—he’s too lazy to walk by himself—but Rosé didn’t let him, claiming he’d crash her car because of the icy and slippery roads.

Speaking of cars, Yeonjun takes off the two big fluffy jackets he has on, placing them down on Rosé’s car. Underneath them, he has two hoodies, one of which belongs to Soobin. The younger’s hoodie is warm enough to keep Yeonjun warm in Antarctica, so he put an extra one on just for extreme measures. 

Yeonjun hums a small tune as he continues walking. He’s sure today is his day, just like any other day. The weather is not too cold, and the atmosphere is lovely. Yeonjun’s sure he’s going to have a good day today, especially now that he’s ungrounded and has his phone back.

But all of Yeonjun’s thoughts quickly go down the drain when he steps foot inside the convenience store, and spots  _ Soobin _ , his ex-boyfriend he’s been avoiding for a month now, by the candy aisle. 

_ Fuck, fuck, fuck, abort mission, abort mission! _

Yeonjun wants to leave, but he knows if he does, Rosé will get mad at him for not getting him her precious ramen. And an angry Rosé, especially over ramen, is not pretty. So, taking a deep breath, Yeonjun musters up all the courage he has, and walks inside the store, heading straight toward the ramen aisle.

But of course, he takes his phone out to tell Taehyun the news.

(the two have gotten _way_ closer after taehyun comforted yeonjun about soobin.)

“Hey, bestie!” Taehyun greets enthusiastically once he answers.

“Hi, bestie,” Yeonjun returns, quietly.

“Is everything okay?” Taehyun asks.

“E-everything’s fine,” Yeonjun nervously chuckles, grabbing the packets of ramen. “Except for the fact that I’m in the  _ same  _ store as  _ Choi Soobin!” _

Taehyun gasps. “No.”

“I am, Tae!” Yeonjun quietly exclaims. “Fuck, I’m starting to panic. What if he sees me?!”

“D-don’t panic, don’t panic,” Taehyun says, even though he’s starting to panic as well. “Has he seen you?”

“I-I hope not,” Yeonjun mutters. “Fuck, Tae, and I can’t leave, either.”

Taehyun knows Yeonjun can’t because of Rosé. “Maybe just steal the ramen, and run back to your house like a ninja.”

“Ooh, I’ve always dreamt of being a ninja…”

“Hyung,  _ focus!”  _ Taehyun hisses.

Yeonjun snaps back to reality, nodding. “R-right. I-I was panicking about Soobin.”

“This is what you’re going to do,” Taehyun says, “you’re going to quietly sneak past Soobin-hyung, buy the ramen, and leave. That’s it. Problem solved. Soobin wouldn’t even know you’ve stepped a  _ foot  _ near him.”

“Nice thinking, Tae,” Yeonjun praises.

To any outsider, Taehyun’s plan would seem stupid. And it is. Taehyun would’ve come up with a smarter plan, but since he’s been hanging out with Yeonjun for too long, mostly all of his brain cells have died.

“You do what I told you,” he says. “Call me to tell me what happens.”

“Will do, Tae,” Yeonjun whispers, as if he’s a secret agent whispering to his mic. “Agent Choi Yeonjun, out.”

“Agent Kang Taehyun, out,” he whispers. “Bye, Choi.”

“Bye, Kang.”

Their call ends, and Yeonjun puts his phone away. He had to bring a whole basket with him, since Rosé sure loves her ramen. The basket is full with them soon, so Yeonjun decides to head toward the cashier. He’s counting the ramen to make sure he has enough ramen to last for a week, and obviously, he’s not looking where he’s going. Like any other cliché story, Yeonjun bumps into someone, making some of the ramen fall from his basket.

“Oh, shit, sorry,” he apologizes, crouching down to pick up his ramen.

The person he bumped into turns around, and their eyes widen when they recognize Yeonjun. The bluenette notices the person’s shoes turned toward him, so he looks up, his mouth dropping once he sees that he bumped into  _ Soobin _ .

“S-Soobin,” Yeonjun says, immediately getting up.

“Watch where you’re going, Yeonjun,” Soobin sighs. “You’re so clumsy.”

Yeonjun frowns. “Hey, so are you.”

“No, I’m not,” Soobin denies. “Look, I’m not going to argue with you, since it’d just be a waste of my time. Just…shut up, Yeonjun.”

“Yah, I’m older than you,” he grumbles. “Show some respect.”

Yeonjun can tell Soobin rolled his eyes, so Yeonjun rolls his as well. Since Soobin is in front of him, he pays first, before it is Yeonjun’s turn. The cashier gives him a weird look as she scans all of the ramen he has. Yeonjun gives her a sheepish smile, getting his wallet out. The cashier tells him his total, and he gives her the change, telling her to keep the extra. He grabs his bags, and heads toward the door, just to bump into someone again.

“Fuck, Yeonjun, again?”

At the familiar voice, Yeonjun looks up, unsurprised that he bumped into Soobin again. “S-sorry.”

“Watch where you’re going,” he scoffs.

Yeonjun just sighs, knowing Soobin won’t bother to be any nicer to him. He starts walking away to head back to his house, before he hears someone call out both his  _ and  _ Soobin’s name. Turning around, Yeonjun’s eyes widen when he sees his  _ father  _ running toward them.

“F-father?”

“Mr. Choi?”

“Hi,” he greets with a smile. “You guys aren’t busy, right?”

“Yes, actually,” Soobin says, but Yeonjun knows he’s lying, so he can get away from Yeonjun as fast as possible. “I-I need to go back home.”

“I promise this is quick,” his father quickly assures. 

“What is it, father?” Yeonjun sighs.

His father smiles, and walks toward Soobin first. Soobin raises an eyebrow at Yeonjun’s father, but when the male gets  _ too  _ close, Soobin starts backing away. Except, he can’t, since Yeonjun’s father immediately grabs onto his shoulder, and injects a needle into his neck, making him fall to the floor. Yeonjun’s eyes widen, and he slowly backs up from his father.

“W-what the fuck did you just do?!” Yeonjun yells. He wants to go to Soobin, but he knows he has to get away from his father first.

“I injected him,” he states, raising an eyebrow at his son. “Didn’t you just see that?”

“G-get away from me,” he stutters, taking a step back. “I-I’m calling the cops.”

“No you’re not,” his father says with a sweet smile. 

“What-” Yeonjun can’t continue, since he bumps into someone behind him. Before he can even turn around, he feels a needle being injected into his neck, and just like Soobin, he falls to the floor. Yeonjun starts to feel hazy, his vision becoming blurry. He manages to look at Soobin, seeing that he’s already being dragged away. The last thing Yeonjun sees is a pair of black heels in front of him before he blacks out. 

**Author's Note:**

> updates will be on monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, and friday 
> 
> there's going to be around 18-25 chaps, so for now it'll only be 18


End file.
